Supermarket staff charged with assaulting shopper after accusing her of shoplifting
Two supermarket employees have been charged with assault, causing bodily harm contrary to section 251 of the Constitution.
According to a police report, on August 2, 2023, at the Magunas supermarket in Makutano, at around 5 pm, two employees, Simon Mwandikwa and Patrick Itieng’, assaulted 23-year-old Lisa Kanario.
Lisa claims she walked to the supermarket at around 5 pm to pick up some goods where during her check out she was accused of shoplifting three sachets of fabric softener.
She alleges the two men alongside two other ladies took her to a dark room within the supermarket, slapped, frog-marched and whipped her, leaving her with some injuries before they forced her to carry bales of maize floor from the 2nd floor to the 4th floor.
The family says their daughter was brutally punished by the employees even after insisting that CCTV footage or any evidence to show she was guilty be produced.
Lisa was assaulted for more than 40 minutes helplessly before she could be allowed to call one of her close friends to send her Sh 600 to pay for the alleged stolen goods.
The medical examination revealed that there were visible whip marks on the back, swollen forehead among other injuries. Lisa is said to have paid a total amounting to Sh 600 to the supermarket, however, the receipt which was retrieved from the supermarket indicated that Lisa paid for one empty carton item.
Appearing before Senior Resident Magistrate Maureen Odhiambo, Simon Mwandikwa denied the charges and was released on a cash bail of Sh 7,000. On the other hand, Patrick Itieng’ was granted a warrant of arrest issued and his cash bail was forfeited.
The matter will be mentioned on 14th August 2023.