I’ll refund your stolen Sh176,800, woman tells Buruburu man

The complainant says he met the suspect at a bar in Buruburu in March 2021. [Courtesy]

A woman accused of stealing Sh176,800, a watch and two mobile phones belonging to a Buruburu man has offered to return the funds.

Miriam Mbithi asked the Makadara Law Courts to allow her and her accuser, Patrick Were, settle the matter out of court.

She offered to pay Mbithi Sh10,000 every month in refund efforts.

Principal Magistrate Agnes Mwangi, however, said the 18 months that Mbithi would need to offset the obligation was “too long” for the court to monitor.

Mwangi, therefore, asked Mbithi to agree with Were on deductions that would require a shorter period to offset.

The court heard that Mbithi, in March 2021, joined Were at a bar table in Buruburu, where he was drinking with his friends.

“After she joined our table, we ordered food. That’s the last thing I remember. The following morning, I woke up outside the bar. My wristwatch and two mobile phones were missing,” Were said in court.

“I, thereafter, rushed to my friend’s place to check up on him. Later, I went to the Safaricom shop to get my M-Pesa statement. I was shocked to discover that Sh176,800 was missing from my mobile wallet. Safaricom established that the money had been sent to the mobile SIM lines belonging to Miriam Mbithi and her friends,” said the complainant.

Were, thereafter, reported the matter at Buruburu Police Station. Police used Were’s stolen mobile phone signal to trace the suspect to her home within Buruburu estate, where she was arrested.

When she was arraigned on Monday, January 10, she pleaded with the court to be allowed to enter a refund negotiation with the complainant.

The complainant said he had no problem with an out-of-court settlement, provided that Mbithi returns his money, two mobile phones and wristwatch.

Principal Magistrate Agnes Mwangi gave Mbithi until early February to strike a settlement deal with Were.

The hearing continues on February 11, 2022.