On Tuesday, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) took to Twitter to outline charges against Abdiwahab Adan Maalim, director of Nairobi-based Vaad Limited, following a complaint lodged at DCI headquarters on December 30, 2024.
The agency says Maalim is accused of soliciting Ksh 6.4 million from a client for a house in the Oakside Phase 2 development in Syokimau, Mavoko Municipality, without ever breaking ground.
According to the DCI’s statement, detectives from its Economic and Commercial Crimes Unit uncovered a contractual agreement dated September 22, 2022, under which Maalim undertook to deliver a fully built home for a total fee of Ksh 13 million.
The deal required a Ksh 3 million upfront deposit and phased payments over two years.
Seven months after the initial deposit, the complainant had paid Ksh 6.4 million in instalments – but site inspections revealed no trace of a foundation. “Over a year had passed since the agreed completion date, and neither the foundation nor any construction had begun,” the DCI noted in its Twitter post.
Maalim appeared before Chief Magistrate Wanja Gichohi at Milimani Law Courts, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of obtaining money by false pretence. He was released on a bond of Ksh 1 million and a cash bail of Ksh 100,000.
The matter is due for mention on May 12, 2025.
In its tweet, the DCI also appealed for additional victims to come forward: “We urge anyone who may have fallen victim to Maalim’s schemes to file their reports at DCI Headquarters.” Investigators say they are examining multiple complaints against Maalim and Vaad Limited as part of a broader probe into alleged fraudulent property deals.
