Apartment manager to serve two years in jail for conning tenants of Sh2 million

 

James Peter Muthoga, worked as an assistant manager overseeing apartments in Karen. [Nancy Gitonga, Standard]

A Nairobi court has sentenced an apartment manager to two years in prison after he stole over Sh2 million in rent collected from tenants across three properties.

James Peter Muthoga, who worked as an assistant manager overseeing apartments in Karen, Rongai and Kitengela, was found guilty and convicted by Principal Magistrate Caroline Njagi, who handed down the two-year custodial sentence without the option of a fine.

Delivering the verdict, the magistrate ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Muthoga betrayed the trust placed in him by his employer, Tweya Investment Limited, by pocketing Sh2,067,740 that tenants had paid as rent.

The offences, the court heard, were committed on diverse dates between June 6, 2018 and May 26, 2022, at Karen Triangle Road within Nairobi County.

Prosecutors told the court that Muthoga's theft only came to light following an audit by an expert, which revealed that a significant sum of money was unaccounted for.

Investigations established that while Muthoga had been diligently collecting rent from tenants, he had not been remitting the funds to the property owner.

When confronted by his employer over the missing money, Muthoga vanished. He later surrendered to the police at Karen Police Station.

In his defence, Muthoga denied the charges, arguing that there was no written agreement confirming he had been tasked with collecting rent from tenants.

The magistrate, however, was unconvinced, finding that Muthoga had abused his position of trust and that the money had come into his possession by virtue of his employment.