By The Weekly Vision Team
A Nairobi court has granted police more time to investigate two domestic workers accused of stealing Sh30.7 million from their late employer’s bank account using a credit card. Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi allowed the police to continue holding the suspects, Felistas Nyambura and James Wachira, after the initial five-day detention period expired. The police had requested additional time due to the complexity of the investigation, which spans multiple locations, including Meru, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Nairobi, where the alleged crime occurred.
Nyambura and Wachira are accused of siphoning Sh30,706,000 from the bank account of the late Joseph Barrage Wanjui between 2022 and 2024. Senior state prosecutor Virginia Kariuki informed the court that the two had worked for the Wanjui family for over 21 years. She requested a 14-day extension of their detention to allow further investigation.
The alleged theft was discovered by officers from the Banking Fraud Investigations Unit (BFIU) of the Central Bank of Kenya on September 3, 2024, following a report of illegal withdrawals from the family’s account at Absa Bank Kenya PLC. According to the court, the late Wanjui’s widow alerted their daughter, Joyce Ann Muthoni Wanjui, about the arrest of their domestic worker, Nyambura, and family driver, Wachira, over the theft of Sh706,000 from a credit card.
Prosecutor Kariuki informed the court that the BFIU officers uncovered further fraudulent activity, with the suspects admitting their involvement. The BFIU investigator, Corporal Michael Wandera, revealed that between 2022 and 2024, Sh30 million was debited from Joseph Wanjui’s credit card, linked to his ABSA Bank account. Wandera requested more time to gather critical information, including bank statements, credit card details, and CCTV footage from various locations across Nairobi and Ukunda.
Wandera also stated that statements would be recorded from key witnesses, including Joyce Wanjui, her mother, and bank officials, and that an identification parade would be conducted to confirm the suspects’ involvement in the case.
