A man charged with defrauding internally displaced persons (IDPs) of more than Sh2.8 million has pleaded with an Eldoret court to grant him free bond due to his advancing age.
Stephen Mbugua, 72, who denied the charges before Chief Magistrate Charles Oblutsa, said he has no money to secure his freedom.
“Your honour, I am afraid that if they take me to Eldoret GK Prison, I might be harmed by hardcore criminals who think that I have a lot of money due to the publicity my case has attracted,” Mbugua told the court.
He assured the magistrate that he is not a flight risk and that he will attend court as required.
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Mbugua was arrested by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations offices in Nakuru on charges of obtaining money by false pretenses and also impersonating a senior Ministry of Interior official.
His arrest followed complaints by hundreds of victims of the 2007/2008 post-election violence in the Rift Valley that he had swindled them out of millions of shillings.
One charge stated that between September 9 last year and January 21, he obtained Sh2.8 million from the IDPs to ostensibly enlist them as beneficiaries of billions of shillings set aside by the Government for resettlement and compensation.
An alternative charge stated that during the same period, he falsely presented himself as a senior employee in the Ministry of Interior and Government Coordination who had been appointed by the Government to oversee the IDPs' compensation and resettlement in the region.
Mr Obulutsa granted Mbugua a bond of Sh300,000 with a surety of a similar amount. The magistrate also directed that Mbugua be detained at Eldoret Central Police Station to guarantee his safety. The case will be heard on September 30.
