Pastor promised congregant jobs for her daughters, defrauded her over Sh490,000

A pastor in Kariobangi, Nairobi, has been charged with defrauding a woman of Sh490,000 in the pretence that he would get her two daughters jobs.

Mwangaza Church Pastor Ben Anguche Osotsi allegedly obtained the money from Mary Kagai Lumula by promising her fake Judicial Service Commission (JSC) jobs.

He allegedly committed the offence on diverse dates between January 15 and May 22 at Utawala in Embakasi Sub-county.

Lumula was introduced to Osotsi by a pastor known to her when she attended church. Osotsi allegedly told her that he had prayed for several people who later became successful.

She fell for the trap and opened up to him that she had two daughters who had completed college and were job hunting. Osotsi then allegedly told her that he had connections with JSC.

He asked Lumula to send the girls' academic credentials to him followed by Sh110,000 for facilitation. What followed was a series of demands for more cash that totalled Sh490,000 then Osotsi stopped receiving calls or answering SMS from Lumula or her daughters.

The pastor however denied the charges before Makadara Senior Resident Magistrate Monica N Kivuti. He was released on Sh100,000 bail and the case will be heard on November 17.