How inmate acquired properties worth millions for his family while inside Kamiti prison

A well-connected inmate serving a life sentence at the Kamiti Maximum Security prison is back in court where he is facing fraud charges alongside his mother after allegedly defrauding a city businesswoman from his prison cells while promising her a parcel of prime land in Nairobi.

Hesbon Onyango Nyamweya has been freshly charged with conspiracy to steal contrary to section 313 of the Penal Code. He is charged alongside his mother Pamela Akinyi Wara with colluding to steal Sh7,656,500 from Purity Karambu.

The suspects are facing two similar charges of cheating contrary to section 315 of the Penal Code where they are accused of using fraudulent tricks to get the money from Karambu.

The suspects are accused of committing the offence between May 1 and September 17, 2020. They are also charged with defrauding the complainant of Sh91,230 during the same period.

The mother and son are facing charges of money laundering in contravention of section 3 (b) (1) as read with section 16 of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act (POCAMLA).

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI's) Serious Crimes Unit says the two acquired properties in Migori, Rongai in Kajiado County and another in Lang'ata in Nairobi.

Nyamweya used mobile phones to meticulously coordinate the crime from prison cells where he was promising to sell land to the victim while still in incarceration, allegedly colluding with his mother and others. Karambu was misled into believing she was buying land.

Some accomplices at large were acting as intermediaries in the scheme and Karambu transferred the money to Wara during the execution of the fraud.

The value of the properties said to be worth millions highlights the scale of the fraud and the sophisticated nature of the operation, which was perpetrated at one of the highly guarded correctional centres in the country.

DCI believes that Nyamweya used his connections in prison to orchestrate the scam. While his elderly mother was perceived as an unlikely suspect in such activities, the prime suspect covertly communicated with her.

Nyamweya's sisters who were also involved in the crime are at large. This perception may have aided their ability to carry out the scheme without immediate detection.

Police investigations suggest that Nyamweya communicated with his mother and others through covert means, facilitating the transactions from within prison walls.

The two denied the charges before Chief Magistrate Susan Shitumbi.

Wara claimed she was unaware of the fraudulent nature of the funds, alleging that her son had misled her regarding the source of the money.

Shitumbi released Wara on a bond of Sh2 million pending trial while Nyamweya returned to prison where he is on life imprisonment. The case will be mentioned on October 2, 2024.