A 26-year-old University of Malawi student, Martin Kachigayo, has been sentenced to 22 months in prison for stealing a laptop and Redmi Note phone belonging to a fellow first-year student, Mayamiko Phiri. Kachigayo, who had previously been arrested for stealing other students’ laptops, pleaded guilty to the charge.

During the trial, Kachigayo requested a non-custodial sentence so that he could sit his exams, stating that he had stolen due to poverty. However, Chief Resident Magistrate Austin Banda rejected this reasoning, pointing out that there are many needy students who do not resort to theft.

Banda also warned that students who develop a habit of stealing from their colleagues are likely to continue such behavior as employees in the future, leading to a culture of corruption.

Kachigayo will also appear before Senior Resident Magistrate Mercy Bonongwe for sentencing in a similar offense.