Three Egerton University students were Monday, October 31 charged at the Milimani Law courts with several counts of examination fraud.
Francis Manyara Ogata, Kelvin Anunda Mogaka, and Bravin Osano Ombongi allegedly defrauded members of the public of millions of shillings through social media on the pretense of offering leaked Kenya National Examinations papers for 2022 tests.
The prosecution told the court that the trio was arrested following complaints from different members of the public who had been defrauded over Ksh4 million. The court heard that the Uni students shared the loot equally.
They were allegedly operating 15 accounts on WhatsApp and Telegram, where they solicited money from the public with the promise of sending them leaked examination papers.
The three were demanding between Ksh5,000 and Ksh35,000.
Investigators said the students had already collected over Ksh4 million deposited in two bank accounts, which the DCI has frozen.
They were also found in possession of several ATM cards, national identity cards, and SIM cards that did not belong to them.
Appearing before Milimani Chief Magistrate Wendy Kagendo, the three denied 12 charges of conspiracy to defraud, publication of false information on social media namely Telegram and being in possession of Identification Cards belonging to five different persons.
They are said to have committed the offence on diverse dates between October 1 and October 20, 2022, at unknown places within the country.
Anunda was separately charged with five counts of being in possession of Identification Cards belonging to Denis Makori Nyanga, Martin Gacheru Wanjiru, Trevor Wanyonyi, Bernard Kipyego Maiyo and Elijah Ogoti Nyamberi during his arrest on October 27.
The students urged the court to release them on reasonable bail terms as they are students.
They told the court that they were not a flight risk and have been cooperating with the investigators at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) since their arrest on October 26.
“I urge the court to release me on reasonable bail terms. As I am a fourth-year student studying Education without any source of income,” Osano said.
Magistrate Kagendo granted each a bond of Ksh1 million with an alternative cash bail of Ksh500,000 with two contact persons. The pre-trial is set for November 14.
