Suspected serial kleptomaniac arrested for stealing hundreds of school items in Nyeri

Nyeri kleptomaniac arrested

What you need to know:

  • He was caught during a search following a robbery in one of the houses belonging to a cook who stays within the school compound.
  • Security guards and other staff members decided to conduct a search in all the houses.
  • In the librarian’s three-roomed house were textbooks, laboratory equipment, desks, wrapped school gifts, used bar soaps, pangas, utensils, computers and even wrapped gifts.
  • It is believed that he has been sneaking the items from the library and dormitories before later selling them

A librarian at Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls Secondary School in Nyeri was Saturday morning arrested for stealing school items worth more than Sh1 million.

The librarian, identified as 52-year-old Lawrence Mwai Maina, is suspected to be a serial kleptomaniac who has been stealing from the school and students for over eight years.

He was caught during a search following a robbery in one of the houses belonging to a cook who stays within the school compound.

The cook had reported that his house was broken into at around 4am when he reported for duty in the kitchen.

He returned to find all his clothes, shoes and bedding missing.

Security guards and other staff members decided to conduct a search in all the houses.

They were shocked to find in the librarian’s three-roomed house textbooks, laboratory equipment, desks, wrapped school gifts, used bar soaps, pangas, utensils, computers and even wrapped gifts.

STUDENTS' UNDERWEAR

Students who had milled around his house screamed in astonishment on seeing underwear, bras and sanitary towels that had gone missing from their dormitories to be among the items discovered in the house.

Also found among the stolen items were spectacles believed to have been misplaced by several students and even a photo of President Uhuru Kenyatta taken with students during his visit to the school earlier this year.

The photo that was a school relic disappeared mysteriously from the school library a few weeks ago.

After a deeper search by police, the man revealed a bigger stash of new revision textbooks hidden in another house of his in Karogoto Village in Mathira.

8 HOURS TAGGING EXHIBITS

Police had a hard time tagging the exhibits and for more than eight hours they had to make several trips to take away the items found in the two houses.

The librarian’s colleagues, amazed by the magnitude of the stolen items, described him as a kleptomaniac who stole anything.

The librarian has been working in the school for the last ten years.

It is believed that he has been sneaking the items from the library and dormitories before later selling them to unknown people outside the school.

Mathira West OCPD David Kemboi said that the suspect would remain in police custody until Monday when he would be charged in court.

“From what we found, this man is a kleptomaniac and a sadist. I say so because, why would he steal even spectacles from a child?” remarked the police boss.