Alex Maina Kimani, a turnboy for a garbage truck was arrested together with James Irungu Kirucha, the driver, after the photo which was taken by a man identified as Kirucha on February 15 was shared on social media and went viral. He was photographed with what appeared to be a gun on his waist.
Alex claims that what he had was a toy gun which he had collected on the garbage and tucked it in his trouser as the driver posted a photo of him and posted it online. Kirucha posted the photo online, attracting ire and the attention of the public who demanded that he be arrested, because he could be a dangerous criminal masquerading as a garbage collector.
The two were collecting garbage around Kiwanjani area of Embakasi in Nairobi. They were arraigned in court for being in possession of an imitation of a firearm in contravention of the law.
Police were tipped by the public and arrested the two in Nairobi’s Pipeline estate where they claimed they were collecting garbage. They denied the charges arguing they had no criminal intention and were set free on Sh200, 000 personal bond each to await hearing of their case on June 4.