•The legislator told magistrate Benmark Ekhubi that he sold all his property and gave the money to Abdoulaye Tamba Kouro.
•Mungatana said he mortgaged his Sh70 million home in Karen and gave the money to the accused person.
Image: FILE
Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana on Thursday gave an emotional experience of how he lost all his wealth in a get-rich-quick scam by an alleged West African ‘witch doctor'.
The legislator told magistrate Benmark Ekhubi that he sold all his property and gave the money to Abdoulaye Tamba Kouro who lied that he would help him invest it and give returns.
It is alleged that Kouro obtained Sh76 million from Mungatana with the intent to defraud pretending that he would invest it in the oil industry between April 2011 and April 2013 in Kilimani area.
Mungatana said he mortgaged his Sh70 million home in Karen and gave the money to the accused person. He ended up losing the home and all his property.
“I had a home in Karen where my children lived, a big home with seven rooms and at that time I was an MP. It was the biggest investment I had made since it was Sh70 million and I took a mortgage,” he said.
“My late wife died without knowing the truth that I was conned, she thought I gave out the home to another woman.”
Mungatana said due to the scam he lost his house, and properties and had to remove his children from private school.
“From owning a home to renting and without a car. My everything disappeared. It was a bad time. As a lawyer I was not doing well, we lost everything your honours,” he said.
Mungatana said he met Kouro through someone by the name Mohammed Amin and he promised to help him ‘invest’ his money.
The first time he gave him Sh500,000 which doubled to Sh1 million and he thought this was a legit business deal.
“I was very happy when I was told there's another opportunity to invest, he asked me if I had money, I told him I don’t have, and he asked me to look for Sh5 million,” he said.
Mungatana looked for money from relatives and friends and true to the accused person's word, after six months, he was given Sh10 million.
“And all these transactions were in cash, I never suspected that it would go wrong, because the accused inspires you with confidence, when you go to his place you will see many vehicles,” Mungatana said.
He claims that Kouru’s apartment was serviced with men watching over him and he was being treated like a king.
“I would never think that anything would go wrong, given the history of returns. I was confident,” he said.
So after the two returns, when Kouru called him telling him, there was another opportunity for a million dollars he didn’t hesitate to look for the money.
“I sold properties that were in my name. I sold shares that were in my name and my late wife’s name. We had cars that had logbooks, we went to the banks and we took short-term loans,” he said.
At one point, his bodyguard who was a faithful assistant, questioned the investments, asking if he was sure and the legislator said everything was okay.
“For me, it was an investment scam, your honour, because I come from Tana River and I learnt a lesson that Nairobi is hard,” he said.
Mungatana asked the court to find the accused guilty and convict him of the offence.
“I borrowed this money to take to him, I became a slave to this man,” the court heard.
After taking the Sh76 million from the senator, the accused disappeared leaving the senator poor and in debt.