A tour operator with Safari Herd Limited, Patrick Kiilu Muthini, has been charged with defrauding a tourist of USD 8,180 (Ksh 1,057,265) using false promises. Muthini appeared before Milimani Principal Magistrate Rose Ndombi, where he was accused of obtaining the money from Filip Martens between October 4 and December 30, 2024. The prosecution claims that Muthini, pretending to be able to facilitate Martens’ travel activities in various parts of the country, unlawfully obtained the funds. Muthini denied the charge and was granted a bond of Sh 500,000 or an alternative cash bail of Sh 100,000.
In a separate case, businessman Elius Kemboi Korir faces charges of defrauding Mallow Brand Limited of goods worth over Sh 20 million. Korir, who appeared before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Dolphina Alego, is accused of obtaining goods worth Sh 15,633,200 on December 10, 2022, by falsely pretending he could pay for them. The goods included 100 bags of 50kg brown sugar, 575 jerricans of 20-litre cooking oil, 770 jerricans of 20-litre cooking oil, and 1,600 bags of 25kg rice. Korir is also charged with conspiring with others not before the court to defraud Mallow Brand. He denied the charges and was granted a total cash bail of Sh 2 million.
Korir is also facing charges of defrauding Koch Limited of 300 bags of beans worth Sh 4,590,000. He allegedly obtained the beans by falsely pretending they were for Women and Youth Against AIDS and Poverty (WAYAAP), an NGO that would pay for the goods. Korir denied the charges and was granted a cash bail of Sh 1 million in this case.
The businessman, linked to WAYAAP, has been under police radar for involvement in multiple fraud schemes targeting businesses. Authorities say Korir has been using his position at the NGO, which poses as a charity supporting vulnerable individuals, to deceive suppliers with false tender offers. Once the goods are delivered, he disappears. In one instance, Korir and an accomplice defrauded three suppliers of goods worth over Sh 32.8 million, which were then sold in local markets.
Korir was arrested while attempting to flee the country at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after a manhunt was launched. He is now in police custody awaiting trial.
