KPA official conned Sh9m by 'astrologer' to get promotion

Khamis Ahmed Hemed Khalif at Mombasa Court on Monday, May 6, 2019. He denied a charge of conning a KPA Employee of Sh9 millions by promising to double the money. [ Maarufu Mohamed, Standard]

A senior ports authority official lost Sh9 million to fraudsters who had promised to pray for him to double the money and “align his star.”

One suspect, Khamis Ahmed Hemed Khalif, has denied defrauding Eng Douglas Omondi, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) deputy head engineer (electrical) at the port of the cash.

He was arraigned before Resident Magistrate Ruth Amwayi yesterday.

Suspect’s arrest

The suspect was arrested on Saturday by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mombasa after Omondi reported the matter.

Police said the suspect summoned Omondi to a house in Bamburi and told him to carry the money with him.

Two other suspects who are still at large are said to have been in the house when Omondi was told to close his eyes for 30 minutes.

They told him a box in the house contained US dollars but he needed to open it upon reaching home.

Omondi said upon opening his eyes after half-an-hour, as instructed, the three men had vanished, leaving behind a box stashed with papers.

He reported the matter to Bamburi Police and a search was launched.

Urban DCI boss Anthony Muriithi said two other suspects are still at large. 

According to the charge sheet, the suspect fraudulently tricked Omondi to pay him Sh9 million on diverse dates between October last year and last April.

“On the diverse dates between October 2018 and April 2019 in Kisauni sub-county within Mombasa… by means of fraudulent tricks, induced John Douglas Omondi to pay greater sum of money of Sh9,000,000 that you could pray and heal him,” stated the first count.

Second count

In the second count, the suspect was charged for “…jointly with others not before the court, with intent to defraud, obtaining Sh9,000,000 from John Douglas Omondi by falsely pretending that you will double his money and align his star...”

The suspect was also charged with printing 100,000 fake US dollars on April 29.

Khalif was also charged with burning Sh1,200 of different denominations. Police claim the suspects burnt the money on May 3.

The suspect denied all the charges and was released on Sh1 million cash bail.