Man jailed for Sh3.7 million excavator import fraud

A man was found guilty of defrauding a woman of Sh3.7 million by pretending that he could import an excavator for her from the UK.

Zachary Mwangi was sentenced to one year in jail or pay a fine of Sh1 million.

Mwangi was charged that between December 31, 2011, and July 12, 2012, at Reliance Centre in Westlands within Nairobi county, he obtained Sh3,670,000 from Rose Mbithe Mulwa by false pretence.  

The prosecution called two witnesses.

Mulwa said she wanted to buy an excavator and came across a mobile number placed in an advertisement in a local daily.

She called the number and Mwangi directed her to his office in Westlands, she told court.

She was with her son and met someone identified as Gakuru who showed them catalogues of excavators.

She settled on one going at Sh4.9 million. Mulwa testified that the accused person told her she must pay a 50 per cent deposit to start the process of importing the excavator from the United Kingdom.

On December 31, 2012, the complainant went back to the accused person's office with Sh1.7 million. Gakuru said Mwangi had instructed her to deposit the money in his account.

She deposited the money and handed over the banking slips.

Later the accused person told her the excavator had arrived in Mombasa.

“A week later I called him and he informed me that the excavator was being ferried from Mombasa to Kibwezi then to Nairobi and after that he went silent,” she told court.

Mulwa reported the matter to the police and Mwangi was arrested.

Edited by Henry Makori