Beauty queen in Sh300m hotel dispute released on bond

A former Miss Tourism Nairobi Sylvia Wambui Karanja. [File, Standard]

A Nyandarua court has released a former beauty queen on bond after she denied defrauding her ex-fiancé in a Sh300 million hotel tussle. 

Resident Magistrate Georgina Opakasi released Sylvia Wambui Karanja on a Sh1 million bond and surety of the same amount after she pleaded not guilty to the charges. The matter will be mentioned on November 26.

Wambui, 28, with two others not before the court, were accused of forging ownership documents for Bebadis Company Limited to indicate she was the sole director.

Wambui, the winner of Miss Tourism Nairobi 2014, was previously listed as director of Bebadis alongside ex-fiancé Daniel Kariuki and a Ms Ruth Wanjiru. She was represented by lawyer Desmond Otwal.

The charge sheet read that on August 30, 2018 she colluded with two other people to forge the documents using lawyer Paul Njihia's stamp. Njihia is the complainant in the case.

An affidavit signed by Mr Kariuki indicates the Ridgeways- The Yard hotel situated along Kiambu road, makes Sh18 million monthly, which Wambui is now managing having thrown Kimani out.

She was arrested on Friday November 2 and detained for one night in Eldoret at Langas Police Station (OB No. 58/2/11/2018). Later she was moved to Engineer Police Station in South Kinangop.