Man in court over M-Pesa fraud

A man on Monday appeared before a Nairobi court charged with defrauding five people of close to Sh100,000 by manipulating their accounts on the mobile phone money transfer service popularly known as M-Pesa.

Mr John King’ori Gitonga alias Mwalimu denied five counts of electronic fraud contrary to Section 84B of the Kenya Communication Act of 2009.

On the first count, Mr Gitonga denied fraudulently altering M-Pesa information from a mobile phone belonging to Paul Maina Ndirangu and allegedly made away with Sh29,950.

The court heard that he committed the offence on January 29, 2009 at an unknown place.

He had allegedly targeted another victim, Mr John Wahome Kinyaru, two days earlier and defrauding him of Sh6,566.

The suspect allegedly committed the same offence in December 2008 and made away with Sh13,000 from David Chege Nyoro.

Police Superintendent Onesmus Towett told the court that Mr Gitonga altered M-Pesa information from the mobile phone of Ms Ruth Nduku Maliti and made her lose Sh23,000.

He said that the accused committed the offence on November 15, 2009.

His other victim was reported to have been Mr John Nderu Njuguna who lost Sh20,850.

Chief Magistrate Gilbert Mutembei heard that Mr Gitonga committed the offences with other persons who were not in court.

The accused was denied bail after the prosecutor informed the court that he was a wanted man having jumped bail in a Nyeri court.

The prosecutor urged the court to deny him bail and allow the police escort him to Nyeri where he would answer charges of failing to appear in court.

Mr Gitonga was remanded at Nairobi's Central Police Station and the police directed to present him to the Nyeri court for jumping bail.