Businesswoman Faith Mwikali Ndiwa has been charged with defrauding a Nigerian investor, Jude Olabayo Veracruz, of Ksh 25 million (N262 million) by using the name of Kenya’s opposition leader, Raila Odinga.
Ndiwa appeared in court before Milimani Chief Magistrate Susan Shitubi on Monday, May 27, 2024.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), Ndiwa used her companies, Ashley Dylan Limited and Faizel Limited, to deceive Veracruz, a bank CEO, into investing in a fake tender for supplying Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) to KEMSA. She allegedly forged a contract and an amendment to support her claims.
Ndiwa falsely told Veracruz that the contract was for Odinga’s son-in-law, who needed funds to complete it, promising a profit in return. Between June and December 2022, she fraudulently obtained the money from Veracruz in Nairobi County.
Ndiwa faces charges of forgery, falsifying contract documents, and obtaining money under false pretenses. She denied all eight counts.
The prosecution opposed her release on bond, requesting time to file reasons for denying bail. Ndiwa’s defense argued for her release, claiming she was not a flight risk. Magistrate Shitubi ruled in favor of the prosecution, detaining Ndiwa in Lang’ata Prison until Tuesday, May 28, 2024, for a bail hearing.
Ndiwa’s arrest followed an incident in May 2022, when she approached the Guarantee Trust Bank to speak with Veracruz, leading to the scam.
The CEO said the suspect claimed to have some Ksh.70million in her account, for which she needed financial advice.
“The complainant offered financial advice and advised her to make her own decision, the court papers read.
The suspect would return days later with a different request for money, claiming that she needed it to pay off her mother’s medical bills.
When the complainant was asked about the Ksh.70 million she claimed to have in her account, she stated that she had purchased a house in Karen.
“The complainant was convinced and advised her to visit the bank where she was granted a loan of eight million Kenya Shillings,” the court papers read.
A month later, she called the complainant again, this time claiming to be representing Odinga’s son-in-law, who she claimed had recently won a Ksh.19 million tender to supply Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).
It has also come to light that the suspect was involved in a similar case in which she presented herself before the DCI Nairobi area with a job card indicating that she worked as a physician for the Kenyan First Lady
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