'My employer always walked with her keys tied around her neck so there was no way I could steal money from her bedroom'
Image: CLAUSE MASIKA
"My employer always walked with her keys tied around her neck so there was no way I could steal money from her bedroom."
Those were the words of Mercy Karunga before Kibera senior principal magistrate Esther Boke after she was charged with stealing Sh130,000 from Grace Wambui Njenga who employed her as a househelp.
The charge sheet said Karunga stole the cash Sh130,000 from Wambui on April 8, 2017 and bought some clothes and shoes for her brother using the money.
She has denied the charges.
“The police officers are lying. The money she used to pay me was the cash I used to pay her daughter who sold me the shoes and clothes," Karunga said.
She said she was being paid Sh6,000 per month and was saving most of it. She said she left her employer's place with a black bag which she used to carry the clothes and shoes.
Wambui, a 77-year-old-widow, said she had left her house for a dowry meeting in Timboroa. Karunga remained behind.
She said she had given her the mandate to look after her two grandsons who had been brought to her a week earlier.
Upon return, she said she found the money missing from her purple socks where she usually keeps her cash.
“After chama, I went back home and proceeded to my bedroom, checked my purple socks and I realized that my money was missing. I didn’t find the socks either,” Wambui said.
She told court that she later searched and found the socks in the drawer. “I found the socks in the drawer after intensive searching. The drawer was empty too.”
Wambui said she was shocked and screamed for help. neighbours rushed to her aid. “I screamed out loudly and some neighbours came and asked me what the problem was. I narrated to them what the problem was.”
Investigating officer from Kabete police station said found out that the accused stole the money, bought some phones, shoes and clothes. She also produced a black bag, shoes and clothes in court as exhibits.
Karunga said one of the phones produced was not hers and that the other items were sold to her by Wambui's daughter.
Karunga has since been granted bond. The magistrate directed the mater to proceed on Mach 18.
edited by peter obuya