A 21-year-old man is facing charges of drugging, theft, and electronic fraud after allegedly administering a stupefying drug to a Nairobi County Government enforcement officer, Kenneth Kigen.
The incident transpired in Kasarani, Nairobi, where the accused, Joseph Karianjahi, reportedly stole Kigen’s phone and withdrew Sh66,000 from his M-Pesa account.
Karianjahi is facing charges of stealing the Kanjo officer’s phone valued at Sh25,000. Additionally, he is accused of electronic fraud, allegedly conspiring with others to cause the loss of Sh66,000 stolen from Kigen’s M-Pesa account.
The suspect is accused of committing the offense by interfering with the functioning of a computer system with the intent to gain an advantage.
The alleged offenses were committed on October 29, with the suspect acting in collaboration with other persons who are currently at large.
According to court documents, Kigen was at a wine and spirits outlet in the Hunters area, where he was allegedly drugged. He regained consciousness two days later in a hospital undergoing detoxification.
Upon awakening, he realized that his phone was missing. After replacing his SIM card, he noticed that money had been wired from his M-Pesa account.
Detectives believe the victim disclosed his M-Pesa PIN after allegedly being drugged, resulting in two transactions where Sh46,000 was withdrawn, and Sh20,000 was transferred to other accounts.
Following the withdrawals, Karianjahi is alleged to have deposited Sh10,000 into his wife’s account.
Police, with the assistance of the M-Pesa agent from whom the money was withdrawn, tracked down and arrested Karianjahi.
In the final charge, Karianjahi is accused of handling suspected stolen property. At the time of his arrest on November 3, he was allegedly found with Kigen’s phone and Sh18,000, believed to be part of the loot from the complainant’s M-Pesa account.
Appearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Hellen Okwani of the Makadara Law Courts, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Kigen informed the court that Karianjahi had agreed to reimburse him with Sh20,000 and a mobile phone. However, he claimed that he had not received either the cash or the phone.
Karianjahi’s lawyer, Mercy Mumbu, informed the court that the mobile phone was in the possession of the investigating officer and requested lenient bail conditions for her client.
The case is scheduled for mention on November 17, with the possibility of withdrawing the two charges pending the production of Kigen’s phone in court and confirmation of Karianjahi’s payment of the Sh20,000.
Additionally, the court expects to receive the suspect’s social inquiry report from the State Department of Probation and Aftercare Services to aid in determining bail conditions before the trial on the other two charges, where the State is the complainant.
