The founder of Lesedi Developers, a Thika-based land buying and selling firm that’s facing numerous fraud accusations from buyers, has been charged with defrauding 12 land buyers of Sh5.47 million.
Geoffrey Kiragu was on Tuesday charged with 12 counts of fraud before Thika resident magistrate Oscar Wanyaga. He pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
The court heard that on diverse dates last year, Kiragu who was operating as Lesedi Developers Limited, with intent to defraud, obtained money from various individuals by pretending he was in a position to sell them parcels of land.
Among the claimants who lodged the suit is Anthony Mwaura, Mark Wairi and Margaret Wanjiru who parted with Sh1,050,000, Sh749,000 and Sh525,000 respectively but never set foot on the land they bought.
“On diverse dates between February 5, 2022 and March 1, 2022, at Thika within Kiambu county, while trading as Lesedi Developers Limited, with intent to defraud, obtained Sh1,050,000 from Anthony Mwaura Muhia by falsely pretending that you were in a position to sell plots No. 130&131 excised from land parcel Thika Municipality Block 40/2414, a fact you knew to be false,” read one of the charges.
Kiragu was also charged with obtaining Sh350,000 from Priscilla Wanjiku, Jennifer Wangari, Jonathan Kinyanjui, Charles Maina, Josephine Wanjiku, Mukundi Moreen Njeri and James Mwangi each while falsely pretending to sell them land.
Kiragu who was arrested on September 12 this year failed to secure his release despite his lawyers’ application to have him freed on bail.
His lawyers led by John Khaminwa and Daniel Gachau while applying for cash bail argued that Kiragu is not a flight risk. They said he has been cooperative with the investigators and that he has been under police custody for long, a situation they said continues to deny him freedom to interact with his family in Nairobi.
The lawyers pleaded with court to free Kiragu on a Sh50,000 cash bail but the court dismissed the application.
In their submissions to court, the lawyers had sought to have the court decline to admit the charge sheet bearing Kiragu’s charges. The claimed the complainants in the matter had filed similar complaints before Thika Small Claims Court.
They further told the court that the accused had committed to irrefutably settle the complaints outside court.
“Give me a chance to deliberate on Section 89 (5) and also to verify the existence of those small claims court cases which I will do before the course of the day. I will give further directions and set bond terms on Thursday in the morning,” ruled Wanyaga.
Wanyaga directed that the accused be detained at Muthaiga police station pending determination of his bail application on Thursday morning.
