Tea firm director denies forging deceased lawyer's signature

A director of a tea company has been arraigned in court for allegedly forging a stamp and signature of a deceased lawyer.

Kirubi Kamau was charged with allegedly forging particulars of a lawyer who died 11 years ago as he filed returns at the State Law Office in a bid to edge out four directors of the firm.

Kamau denied forging a stamp impression and signature of the late Robert Mburu Mbugua to create an impression that four directors of Central Highland Tea Company Limited had resigned.

He was accused of forging affidavits of resignation of Meshack Kibunja Kaburi, Daniel Wanjie Waruingi, James Njukia Ihura and David Macharia Gichure from the leadership of Central Highland Tea Company Limited.

Kamau allegedly presented the four affidavits to the registrar of companies on June 27, 2019 purporting that they had been signed by the late Mburu who had died in December 2008.

Milimani Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo heard on Wednesday that the deceased lawyer whose offices were at Uganda House in Nairobi, was buried on December 18, 2008 in Ndenderu, Kiambu county.

Directorate of Criminal investigations (DCI) Officer Schola Mwaura who is attached to Central Police Station, Nairobi and who investigated the case told the court that the accused appended his signature and indicated his cellphone number on the returns he lodged at the company registry at the State Law Office.

The officer presented a death certificate of Mburu and the obituary published by the Daily Nation in her evidence in the case as proof that the advocate had passed on.

Mwaura said she reached out to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) to establish whether Mburu had appointed any advocate to take over operations in the event of his absence.

The court was told LSK confirmed that the late Mburu never appointed any lawyer to act on his behalf during his absence.

Kamau was charged with 20 counts of forgery and uttering forged documents.

The court was also told that the four directors had not resigned from the leadership of the tea company and were utterly shocked to learn of their purported exit.

The signatures of Kaburi, Waruingi, Ihura and Gichure that were appended on the affidavits were taken to documents examiner and it was established the they had been forged.

Kamau dwas charged that on June 11, 2019 at an unknown place within Nairobi county jointly with others not before the court with intent to deceive forged stamp impression and the signatures.