Mombasa Court hears how employee stole Sh10.8m from bank

Tyson Mutisya Kimanzi a cash officer at First Community Bank charged with stealing sh.10.8 million from the bank's vault (Joackim Bwana)

MOMBASA, KENYA: An employee took advantage of his access to a bank's strongroom to steal Sh10.8 million, a court has heard.

Tyson Mutisya Kimanzi also took advantage of the absence of security officers and his colleagues, who were taking lunch, to commit the crime at First Community Bank's Kizingo branch. 

On Monday, the bank's operations manager Zaituni Salim Kaole told court Kimanzi had sole access to the strongroom.

The witness said the suspect stashed the money into two metallic boxes before taking off in a taxi.

Kaole said she worked closely with Kimanzi but could not suspect his plan to steal the money.

Kimanzi is said to have committed the offence on February 27 2015 without being noticed. 

After packing the money into the boxes, the prosecution told court, Kimanzi confidently walked out of the strongroom and asked one of the cleaners to help him carry them out of the banking hall.

He later boarded a taxi and disappeared with the loot. 

By the time the bank's management realised the money was missing, Kimanzi had already crossed into Tanzania with all the money.

He would be arrested four months later after the Kenyan and Tanzanian police tracked him through the calls he was making to his wife who was in Kenya. He had Sh4.7 million by the time they arrested him at a guest house in Tanzania.

Kimanzi was later charged alongside a Grace Njeri Kinyanjui and two Tanzanians who have since become State witnesses.

It is however not clear the role Ms Kinyanjui played in the theft, if any.

Kimanzi denied the charges before Chief Magistrate Julius Nang’ea and was released on a Sh1,000, 000 bond with a similar surety.

Kaole, who supervises the bank's customer service, account opening and management of cash, said Kimanzi's main duty was to manage cash centre.

She said on the fateful day, she opened the main door in the presence of Kimanzi as was always the case.

"He managed the cash centre alone. He did his work with no assistance. He received money from our branches and sends the branches money whenever there was need. He was also responsible of banking cash to and from the Central Bank of Mombasa,” said Kaole.

On the day the money was stolen, Kaole said he noticed Kimanzi left work earlier than usual. 

"Kimanzi did not report to work the following day but were not alarmed. We expected him back to work on Monday, March 3, 2015, but Kimanzi was nowhere to be seen. I called him but his phone was switched off. The supervisor from the head office was looking for him," Kaole said.

Kaole said he called Kimanzi's father to ask about his whereabouts. He told her he was also looking for him.

"I reported Kimanzi's absence to my bosses. The reality hit us when a man appeared at the bank demanding payment for helping Kimanzi ferry two boxes. He came to the bank because he couldn't reach him on his phone," she said.

"We used duplicate keys to open the strong room. We counted the money and realised Sh10.8 millon was missing."   

The cleaner, Rashad Otieno, told court Kimanzi asked him to carry two metal boxes out of the bank but could not suspect what was inside.

"Everyone had taken a lunch break and I was sitting outside the banking hall with some officers when he approached me for help," said Otieno.

"He first asked the police officer, Chacha Mwitaa, to help him carry the boxes but he came to me since the officer was eating," he said.