In courts: Televangelist Gakuyo's Sh1.3bn fraud case resumes today

Televangelist David Ngari alias Gakuyo will be back in court today for the hearing of a case where he is charged with Sh1.3 billion fraud.

Gakuyo was in February 2024 charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and 12 counts of obtaining money by false pretence.

He denied all the charges and was granted Sh100 million bail with an alternative bond of Sh200 million with two contact persons.

Milimani senior principal magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi had also directed Gakuyo to deposit his passport in court and not interfere with investigations during the pendency of the case.

The charge sheet showed that Gakuyo allegedly conspired to steal Sh1,052,746.094 from Ekeza Sacco members between 2015 and 2018.

The case proceeds for a hearing before the magistrate today.

Case against NCPB officials

Elsewhere at the anti-corruption magistrate court, the hearing of a case where top officials of the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) were charged with offences related to the Sh209 million fake fertiliser case proceeds.

Also facing the charges is Josiah Kariuki the director of SBL Innovate Manufacturers Limited.

Josiah and the officials -Joseph Muna Kamote, John Kiplangat and John Mbaya - were charged in court in 2024 over the alleged scandal.

They have denied charges ranging from conspiracy to defraud and abuse of office.

They are accused that jointly with others not before the court, they conspired with intent to defraud Kenyan farmers by selling a total of 139,688 bags of 25 Kgs each of soil amendment and conditioner valued at Sh209,532,000 purporting it to be a genuine fertilizer a fact they knew to be false.

The charge sheet showed Muna, being the Managing Director at the NCPB, used his office to improperly confer a benefit to Kariuki by executing an Agency Contract between the NCPB and 51 Capital, African Diatomite Industries Limited to supply 139,688 Bags of 25 Kgs each of soil amendment and conditioner branded as fertiliser within NCPB depots across the country.

It's alleged that he committed the offence on March 31, 2022, at Kenya National Cereals and Produce Board Headquarters in Nairobi City within Nairobi County.

Kiplangat was charged separately that on March 31, 2022, at Kenya NCPB Headquarters in Nairobi City within Nairobi County, being the Cooperate Secretary at NCPB used his office to improperly confer a benefit to Kariuki by executing an Agency Contract between the National Cereals and Produce Board and 51 Capital, African Diatomite Industries Limited.