An employee took advantage of his access to a bank's strongroom to steal Sh10.8 million, a court heard Monday.
Tyson Mutisya Kimanzi waited until the security officers and his colleagues were eating lunch to steal the money at First Community Bank's Kizingo branch.
The bank's operations manager, Zaituni Salim Kaole, told the court Kimanzi had sole access to the strongroom.
The witness said the suspect stashed the money into two metal boxes before taking off in a taxi.
Ms Kaole said she worked closely with Kimanzi but did not suspect that he had a plan to steal the money.
Kimanzi was said to have committed the offence on February 27, 2015.
After packing the money into the boxes, the prosecution told the court, Kimanzi walked out of the bank and asked one of the cleaners to help him carry the boxes.
By the time the bank's management realised the money was missing, Kimanzi had already crossed into Tanzania.
Four months
He was arrested four months later after Kenyan and Tanzanian police tracked him through the calls he made to his wife, who was in Kenya. He had Sh4.7 million left by the time he was arrested.
Kimanzi was 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.
Kimanzi denied the charges before Chief Magistrate Julius Nang’ea and was released on a Sh1 million bond with a similar surety.
Kaole, who supervises the bank's customer service, account opening, and management of cash, said Kimanzi managed the cash centre.
She said on the fateful day, she opened the main door in the presence of Kimanzi, as was always the custom.
"He managed the cash centre alone. He did his work with no assistance. He received money from our branches and sent the branches money whenever there was a need. He was also responsible of banking cash to and from the Central Bank,” said Kaole.
On the day the money was stolen, Kaole said, she noticed that Kimanzi had 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 he was nowhere to be seen. I called him but his phone was switched off. The supervisor from the head office said he was looking for him," Kaole said.
Demanding payment
She said she 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.
"That is when we used spare keys to open the strongroom. We counted the money and realised Sh10.8 million was missing."
Metal boxes
The cleaner, Rashad Otieno, told the court Kimanzi asked him to carry two metal boxes out of the bank but did not know what was inside.
"Everyone had taken a lunch break and I was sitting outside the bank 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 came to me later since the officer was eating," he said.
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