One time most wanted criminal now the darling of Ugunja township

As he goes about his business in Ugunja township, Siaya County, few recognise Mr Charles Omondi as a man whose name will forever remain in Kenya’s crime folklore for an incredible incident 20 years ago.

To many in the area “Chacho”, as he is popularly known, is a respected businessman and philanthropist.

Indeed, some of his supporters were disappointed that he did not put forward his candidature in the recent party nominations.

In 2013, he rose to prominence when he announced his plans to vie for the then newly- created Ugunja parliamentary seat on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket, the dominant party in the region.

Mr Omondi, however, pulled out of the race, supposedly because some opponents had blackmailed him by threatening to expose his past.

NO SHOTS FIRED

It is a well-documented past that Mr Omondi refused to discuss 20 years later when the Nation contacted him recently. On January 5, 1997, Mr Omondi grabbed the headlines when he casually strolled into the offices of high-security Kenya Airfreight Handling Limited at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and duped sentries that he had been sent by Citibank to pick up $1 million (Sh54 million at the time) which had been sent from New York.

No threats, no shots fired, no hacking of the system — just glib words and insider information.

The unsuspecting guards handed him the dollar bills before he strolled out and disappeared into thin air.

The money was in an 11-kilogramme bag belonging to the bank’s Fedha Towers, Muindi Mbingu Street branch in Nairobi.

ELECTRONIC TRANSFERS

The bank usually brought in foreign currency in dollar bills freighted as ordinary cargo.

However, investigators wanted to know why the bank could not use more modern methods of transferring huge sums of money, such as electronic transfers.

Mr Omondi, the prime suspect, ran a company called Chaco Inter-Afric Enterprises.

The money was normally collected from the airport, where it was stored in a strong room on Mondays.

A city security firm was responsible for this task. As usual, the security firm’s personnel went to collect the money only to find it missing. However, the matter was kept secret.

SUSPECT FLED

Not only did Mr Omondi walk away casually with the money but on January 10, 1997 the Kenya police stated that the suspect had fled the country.

All banks were asked to report to the Central Bank fraud section if the dollar notes, whose serial numbers had been circulated through the media, were found and Interpol were alerted.

A reward of Sh250,000 — later increased to Sh 1 million — was offered to anyone who provided information on his whereabouts.

He was later said to have fled to Tanzania but was never arrested until things took a dramatic turn more than a year later.

The incident was, however, the subject of public debate with some expressing admiration for the “cool” theft that mirrored a Hollywood movie script.

On March 12, 1998, police raided a house in Nairobi’s Buru Buru estate and arrested him.

SNEAKED BACK

The man had sneaked back into the country from his Tanzania hideout and hid in a house he shared with his wife.

On the fateful day, he had been involved in a domestic brawl with his wife, prompting neighbours to alert the police who rushed to the scene and arrested him – only to later discover they had stumbled on one of the country’s most wanted criminals.

After a lengthy trial, he was jailed for three years.

Mr Omondi was released from jail following a presidential pardon in 2002, before keeping a low profile until 2013 when he unsuccessfully tried his hand in politics.

SPORTS PRODUCTS SHOP

Little is known about his whereabouts in the intervening years, but the businessman, who hails from Ngunya village, has now established a sports products shop in Ugunja, mostly supplying schools. And residents interviewed by the Sunday Nation spoke highly of him.

“Omondi Chacho is a prominent businessman in Ugunja town who has engaged in numerous charity activities in the constituency, impacting positively on the lives of the locals,” says Michael Onyango.

Mr Felix Okeyo, the Principal of Ngunya Secondary School, is full of praise for “Chacho” for his support of education in the constituency. Mr Okeyo says Mr Omondi has sponsored many bright but needy students in the sub-county.

PAYING SCHOOL FEES
“He is currently paying school fees for a Form Two student in my school; he also supports children from less privileged families,” says Mr Okeyo.

Besides supporting the needy students access quality education, Mr Omondi has also ensured electricity was installed in the school, says Mr Okeyo, by organising a harambee last year.

“We managed to raise Sh320,000, and the funds were used to install electricity, sink a latrine and urinal for boys and purchase laboratory equipment,” says the school head.

EMPOWERED YOUTHS

Similar sentiments were shared by Mr Boaz Ochieng, the Chairman of the Ugunja Constituency Development Fund committee, who says that Mr Omondi has empowered youths in the area through sports.

He usually sponsors tournaments and donates sports equipment to youths thus helping to reduce crime rates in the area.

A close friend, who did not want to be named, said Mr Omondi has been working hard to put the incident that happened 20 years ago behind him and feels it is unfair to be judged by a crime that “he was fully punished for”.

The friend claims Mr Omondi stands by his defence in court – which did not convince the judges – that a Mr Martin Njoroge of Citibank had given him identification documents and appointed him an agent. According to this version, Mr Omondi, therefore, “innocently” collected the money and handed it over to Mr Njoroge.
 
Additional reporting by Peter Leftie