Company employees 'faked men's deaths to get Sh10m'

Ibrahim Odhiambo, Lamech Otieno and Leah Kavuna at the Milimani courts where they denied faking death and stealing Sh10 million in 2014. [PHOTO: FIDELIS KABUNYI]

NAIROBI: Three employees of an insurance company are accused of pocketing millions of shillings after faking the deaths of two men.

Pan Africa Life Assurance Company employees Ibrahim Ololo, Lamech Otieno and Leah Chiko were charged at the Milimani Law Courts with stealing over Sh10 million through false pretences.

Otieno, a senior manager and his two workmates appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Ellena Nderitu on October 14, 2014.

They denied charges of faking death and stealing the money from the insurer.

They were accused of pretending that Consolidated Movers Insurance Brokers Ltd had reported a death claim of Sh5,262,540 in respect to a Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) official identified as Joseph Chisaka.

Prosecutor Isaiah Mwiranga told the court that the accused forged a death certificate number 33325338, purporting that it was issued by Kakamega District Civil Registrar GK Omondi, confirming that Mr Chisaka died on August 1, 2010.

Ms Chiko, the business corporate manager, was further charged that on August 6 at the insurance company's premises in Nairobi, she altered a file to introduce a fake KenGen bank account number. The account was used to transfer the Sh5,262,540 to settle the fake claim. The three were accused of stealing the money the same day.

In another incident of forgery, the court was told that on August 8, the three employees pretended that Liason Insurance Brokers Ltd had reported a death claim worth Sh4,681,560 in respect of Sammy Njema of Egerton University and later pocketed the money.

They were also accused of forging Mr Njema's death certificate, purporting it to be genuine and issued by the Kisii District Civil Registrar PB Onsarigo, confirming that the university employee died on July 4, 2010.

Attempts by defence lawyer George Morara to stop the suspects from taking a plea were opposed by the prosecution.

"The charges against the accused are malicious since they had pleaded to similar charges," Mr Morara argued. The suspects had been rearrested after pleading to other related charges where they were accused of stealing Sh4 million from the company. The cases are still pending.