A businesswoman in Nairobi has narrated to the court how she was swindled Sh 30,000 by people pretending to be Nairobi County officers.
Purity Njeri, the proprietor of One Touch Bar and Restaurant in Nairobi told trial magistrate Zainab Abdul that three people appeared at her place of work and introduced themselves as Nairobi City County officer in November 2017.
The men told her that they were inspecting liquor licenses and upon upon checking hers, they told her that it was expired.
She told the court that they threatened to arrest the lady at the counter but she insisted that they took her since she new the procedure.
In the case, Gabriel Matei Mukunga and Christopher Makau Samuel are charged with several counts of offences including impersonation, forgery of liquor licenses, uttering false documents among others.
Njeri testified that on the way, one of impersonators said there was no need to go to city hall, he could give her the forms to apply for renewal.
She added that said she asked for their identification because she had been told that there were people impersonating county officers and one Mutinda and Gabriel showed her their identity cards.
Back to the Restaurant
Afterwards, Njeri told the court that they went back to the restaurant and she was given forms to fill.
“They told me I could pay via M-pesa which I did and they promised to bring the license the following day,” Njeri added.
She further said the men gave her a period within which to clear the balance.
“I was to pay shillings 30,000 but I only paid 5000 via Mpesa,” she said.
One of the suspects allegedly told her to be paying Sh 5,000 every Saturday until she cleared the balance.
The witness said that the following day, the licence was brought to her by the suspects and she paid the balance.
Real County officers
Njeri told the court that after sometime, some people came to her restaurant and introduced themselves as county officers.
She said that upon inspection, they told her that the liquor license was not genuine.
They told her to accompany them to City Hall where she narrates what had happened.
At City Hall, Proprietor said that she met the lady in charge of liquor licenses who asked her if she could remember the people who gave her the fake licence.
“I had met them severally and thereafter hence I could identify them,” she testified.
She was asked to call the suspect she was in communication with and tell him a friend of hers wanted to be helped to process a licence.
According to Njeri, he asked her to send him the details of the business and some cash.
“I sent him Sh 5000 and I gave the name East Flow Pub. He promised to bring the licence the following day,” she testified.
It was the following day when the suspects went to give her the licence that she called the county officers who escorted them to Central Police Station.
