Couple's satanic rituals to siphon Sh40 million from the late Karume's account backfires

   Suleiman Murisho in the dock. Photo: Pkemoi Ng'enoh

A Tanzanian has been arrested for swindling Sh6 million from a city couple by claiming he could siphon Sh40 million from the bank accounts of the late politician and tycoon Njenga Karume and transfer the cash to the couple’s account.

Suleiman Murisho Mumenya,38, who has been on the run for close to a year, was nabbed at the Railways bus terminus on October 7 after hot pursuit by police and wananchi.

According to a senior CID officer, Murisho is also suspected to be among Kitengela witchdoctors who swindled Sh4 million from the wives of two vocal leaders by pretending he could connect them to a lucrative gemstone deal.

“It’s a big scam. The suspect has been deceiving Kenyans that he has powers to look into and withdraw money from the accounts of high profile people who have passed on,” said the officer who sought anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Authorities also claim Murisho, who has been posing as prayer warrior in Ngara area, was charged at a Nairobi court for obtaining money by false pretense.

He however denied the charge and was set free on a Sh2million cash bail and surety of Sh3 million.

According to the charge sheet, on different dates between March 2013 and March 2014, the suspect allegedly received the cash from Anastasia Mutheka by promising her that he could transfer more than Sh40 million from Njenga Karume’s bank account into hers.

The business woman told the police she was directed by a friend to attend prayer sessions at Murisho’s den in Ngara because one of her ‘educated’ sons was diverting his salary to a relative’s house help instead of helping his siblings.

“I think the man (Murisho) confused me. When I met him, he told me how he could award me with more than Sh40 million without breaking a sweat instead of crying over my son’s ‘spilt milk,’” Mutheka told police.

On the material day, Mutheka said the preacher, after showing her an empty suitcase, handed her some black stuff and directed her to walk to a nearby bank without talking to anyone along the way.

“When I came back after half an hour, I found the briefcase full of crispy notes in Sh1,000 and Sh500 denominations. He said it was Sh40 million that he had siphoned from the bank accounts of dead people,” she said.

To be allowed to leave with the cash, she said the preacher asked her to part with 10  per cent of her own money to rid the money of the “smell” of corpses.

To accomplish the mission, Mutheka’s family sold their property to pay the Sh4 million ‘commission.’

With time however, Murisho demanded more money.

“After we deposited the first Sh200,000, the preacher told us to travel and perform some sacrifices in the Indian Ocean and caves in Mombasa. The ritual included plucking feathers from a live, black cockerel and strangling a white one,” David, Mutheka’s husband, told The Nairobian.

After depositing Sh1.2 million in Murisho’s account in December 2013, the ‘pastor’ told them the ancestors had taken a Christmas break until 2014 and introduced another man only identified as Prophet Kurwa to complete the remaining part and hand them their Sh40 million.

The last ritual, which would remain in the couple’s memories for ever, was the one where they accompanied Murisho in the dead of the night to a city cemetery and a thicket near a public mortuary and danced naked until the wee hours of the morning.

“I suspected Murisho was a con when he started avoiding me in town. But on the on the fateful day, when I saw him, I shouted for help and wananchi and traffic police assisted me to chase him all the way to the Railways terminus where he was arrested. I want him to repay our Sh6 million,” Mutheka told The Nairobian.

Murisho’s trial begins next year on January 26.