A 32-year-old woman who claims she was lured by a love prospect she had not met in defrauding another woman of Sh44,300 has been charged with fraud.
Ms Ruth Wanjiku Kangethe is facing charges of obtaining money by false pretenses Contrary to section 313 of the Penal Code.
She is accused of defrauding Ms Mary Wachuka Kinyua of the money on May 19, 2023 while pretending that she was in a position to process a title deed for the complainant, knowing the same was untrue.
Ms Kangethe has also been charged with impersonating a public officer by presenting herself as a land registry employee from the Public Service Commission. She is reported to have assured the complainant that she was in a position to process the title deed for a parcel of land at Solio Settlement Scheme.
However, Ms Kangethe claims that she was duped into the fraudulent scheme by a man whom she was introduced to by a female friend. She claims the friend gave her the contact for a man whom she could start dating. The man was purported to be an influential politician.
Ms Kangethe allegedly reached out to the man and they started a relationship, constantly calling to check on each other as their love blossomed.
Then on one occasion, the lover told her to expect a call from a woman who wanted to hasten the process of getting a title deed. She was instructed to ask the woman for Sh43,300 for the process and she obliged.
When the woman called, Ms Kangethe asked her for the cash as she had been instructed by her lover. The cash was sent by the woman who is now the complainant in the case.
Ms Kangethe was then directed by her lover to retain Sh5,000 and send him the rest. The accused did as instructed but she later received a call from Ms Kinyua who demanded a refund after learning that she had been defrauded.
Ms Kangethe did not have the money and the matter was reported to the police leading to her arrest. Her supposed lover is yet to be arrested.
The accused denied the charges before Principal Magistrate Monica Kivuti of the Makadara Law Courts and sought for lenient bail and bond terms.
Ms Kangethe told the court that she is a single mother of three children. She was granted a cash bail of Sh30,000 with the case set to be mentioned on December 15, 2023 before the hearing starts on July 8, 2024.
