Elderly man in trouble after bailing out 'conman' in Nyeri

A 72-year-old man has one month to produce an accused person he stood bail for or risk going to jail.

Paul Kamau also risks being rendered landless since he stood bail for the accused, who now cannot be traced, using a land title deed, which might now be forfeited to the State.

He has been given one month by a Nyeri court to produce James Gathuru, the man he stood bail for, in a case where he (Gathuru) is alleged to have obtained money by false pretences.

Kamau, who surrendered a title deed to two people; one who masqueraded as a court worker and the accused, has now been ordered to pay Sh300,000, present the accused in court on September 12 this year or be jailed.

He was cheated into bailing out Gathuru in July last year in exchange for Sh30,000. "They told me that after that small matter, I would earn Sh30,000 and get my title deed back any time I wanted it," said Kamau.

The man was cheated that the case was just a small matter since the accused was in the process of reconciling with the woman who had sued him after conning her money.

However, trouble set in when Gathuru skipped court sessions four times.

Kamau told the court Gathuru went missing from last year and lied to him that he was involved in an accident.

He said the accused always picks his calls and promises to appear in court but never does.

"Even today I called him and I have talked to his wife and they promised that he was coming but he has not come," he said.

Kamau said he had even gone to look for the accused in Nairobi through the help of the police without success.

Kamau said he had reported the case to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation in Nyeri and that the officers urged him to continue looking for the suspect.

Kamau's brother John Kariuki said the suspect took advantage of his brother's old age and ignorance to con him.

The two men are now pleading with the Government to intervene and arrest the suspect so that the old man does not lose his land.