Court slaps man with Sh20,000 fine for letting underage son drive car

 

A man whose seven-year-old son was recently filmed driving a vehicle in Murang'a County was on Tuesday charged after he pleaded guilty to charges levelled against him by the State.

Ayub Kinyanjui, who appeared before Resident magistrate Margaret Kinyanjui at Kandara Law Court, admitted to permitting a person who is not a holder of a valid driving licence to drive a motor vehicle.

The court fined Mr Kinyanjui Sh20,000 with the option to serve a jail term of three months.

Traffic laws in Kenya require that for one to acquire a driving licence, he or she must be 18-years-old and above. 

Mr Ayub was arrested by a traffic officer from Kirwara police station in Gatanga Sub-County.

In his mitigation, he said he had taken his vehicle to a car wash and later proceeded to a supermarket, leaving his son unmanned. He said he came back only to find that his son had reversed the vehicle and was trying to park it while being filmed. 

In the video that went viral, the child could be seen effortlessly driving a black Prado at Del View in Kandara town.

Some Kenyans online had condemned the parent for endangering the child’s life while others praised the boy's driving skills.

This court decision also comes at a time when security teams have been ordered to conduct a crackdown on underage drivers for endangering other's lives and property.    BY DAILY NATION