Ekeza Sacco probe: Bishop Gakuyo granted Sh1m cash bail or Sh20m bond

Fraud suspect David Kariuki Ngari alias Bishop Gakuyo was on Monday granted Sh10 million cash bail or Sh20 million bond after denying charges of conspiring with others to defraud Ekeza Sacco members of Sh1 billion.

Gakuyo, a televangelist, is associated with Ekeza Sacco Society Limited, Gakuyo Real Estate Ltd and Gakuyo Investors Club.

If he chooses to pay the cash bail, he will provide two contact persons, one of them a government employee.

Gakuyo was charged with colluding with others at large to steal Sh1, 052,746,094 from sacco between 2015 and 2018. He is also charged with obtaining money by pretences by defrauding different members of the sacco of different amounts of money under varied circumstances related to land sale and joint investments.

In one of the cases, Gakuyo is accused of conning a self-help group - Step by Step Welfare Association - of Sh553,050 at the sacco's offices in Ruai claiming he could sell a parcel of land in Kilimambongo, Kiambu County. He allegedly committed the offence between March 14, 2016 and February 21, 2017.

In another count, Gakuyo is charged with defrauding businessman Edward Nduati of Sh1.2 million at the sacco's offices in Kiserian, Kajiando Count,  between October 14 and October 16, 2016, while pretending that Gakuyo Investments Club was carrying out a business that would earn two per cent interest.

He is also charged with defrauding businesswoman Elizabeth Mwangi of Sh2,450,000 under the same circumstances between July 2017 and March 2018.

Gakuyo is charged alongside the sacco in all the cases but he declined to respond on its behalf. He denied all the charges and told Milimani Principal Magistrate Ben Mark Ekubhi, through lawyers led by Ndegwa Njiru and Dunstan Omari, that he does not know of Ekeza and has no relationship with it.

Prosecution counsel Henry Kinyanjui had told the court that Gakuyo is a director at the sacco but the suspect's lawyers said this could not be proved.

Kinyanjui sought a warrant of arrest against the sacco but Omari said it was unnecessary as there was no bond compelling it to appear in court to answer to any charges and it was not aware that it was required in court.

Omari urged the court to issue a summons to the sacco through him, a prayer which was granted.

The matter will be mentioned on March 8 when the Sacco will respond to the charges.

Omari had preempted an intention by the police to arrest Gakuyo outside the court after the proceedings, to be charged on behalf of Ekeza, and insisted to be served with the summons on behalf of the sacco.

Kinyanjui had pleaded with the court to withhold Gakuyo's travel documents and restrict him from travelling without the court's consent. The defense lawyers said they were not opposed to this

However, Omari urged the magistrate to consider that Gakuyo is a bishop and that "bishops don't have money [and] they rely on tithes". He said parishioners could help him secure the Sh1 million cash bail.