Man arrested in Nyeri over counterfeit Irene Stefani beatification booklets

Man held for pirating beatification programme

What you need to know:

  • The Archdiocese of Nyeri had been authorised to print the programmes through the Mathari Printing Press.
  • However, the Mathari in-house printing machines were down, forcing them to contract the county media to print the programmes.
  • It is in this transfer of the original template that it landed on the pirates, who quickly forged it and rushed to print the programmes.

A man was arrested in Nyeri on Thursday night over unauthorised printing of Sister Irene Stefani beatification programme booklets.

Police officers stormed the building where the printing was ongoing following a tip-off and closed the premises.

The police are looking for the person who impersonated the Catholic director and illegally contracted the printing press to print the booklets.

The Archdiocese of Nyeri had been authorised to print the programmes through the Mathari Printing Press.

However, the Mathari in-house printing machines were down, forcing them to contract the county media to print the programmes.

It is in this transfer of the original template that it landed on the pirates, who quickly forged it and rushed to print the programmes.

The Nyeri CID boss Julius Emase said members of the public had notified the police of the illegal printing going on in a building within Nyeri Town.

“We were alerted that illegal printing was taking place within town by members of the public. We are glad this did not see the light of day,” he said.

REPORT SUSPICIOUS PERSONS

He affirmed that the police had their eyes on the transport, accommodation and other departments connected with the ceremony.

He urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious persons or acts in their environment.

Father Samuel Njigua, the priest coordinating the printing of the programmes, termed the discovery of the counterfeit programmes a miracle.

“This is a miracle. The programmes they are printing are not the original and would have misled the guests,” he said.

He noted that the counterfeit programmes did not have the Novena prayer, which was only on the original booklet.

The 6,000 counterfeit documents were confiscated by the police.

The original documents will be available at the Our Lady of Consolata Cathedral and at the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology Grounds.