- A man accused of claiming he could secure job opportunities in the National Police Service (NPS) has been released on a KSh 500,000 cash bail
- Court papers seen by TUKO.co.ke showed he allegedly took millions from jobseekers after promising NPS recruitment slots
- His lawyer told the court that the accused is innocent, mistaken for someone else, and deserves lenient bond terms
TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
A man accused of defrauding jobseekers by pretending he could secure positions within the National Police Service (NPS) has been released on cash bail after appearing before the Milimani Law Courts.
Source: Original
According to court documents seen by TUKO.co.ke, James Chesimani Masengeli, also known as Timothy Khatete Barasa, allegedly obtained KSh 2,588,000 from seven individuals.
This was after he claimed he was in a position to guarantee them employment in the police service.
The alleged offences occurred between November 18 and November 23, at an unknown location within Kenya.
Why did Masengeli seek lenient bail terms?
Prosecutors said Masengeli misrepresented himself and took money from the complainants while knowing very well he did not have the capacity or authority to influence recruitment into the NPS.
Accompanied by his lawyer, Masengeli appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Dolphina Alego, where he pleaded for lenient bail terms.
His defence counsel Shadrack Wambui urged the court to consider the circumstances of the accused.
“We plead with humility that this court considers to grant very lenient bond terms to the accused person to secure his liberty,” Wambui submitted.
Wambui further argued that Masengeli was a family man with no history of flouting the law.
“The accused person is a father of four children, is a law-abiding citizen. Under Article 50 of the Constitution we will be praying with humility that you find favour in granting my client lenient bail and bond terms.”
Defence team seek evidence in Masengeli’s case
The defence also requested full disclosure of the prosecution’s evidence.
“We also ask that we be furnished with all evidence material that the state will be relying on in this matter. My client is very eager to try and establish the circumstances he finds himself in. My instructions are that he is being mistaken for someone else and perhaps in due course the court will get to the root of the matter and establish the truth, and vindicate him against the accusations he faces,” Wambui added.
After considering the submissions, Magistrate Alego granted Masengeli cash bail of KSh 500,000 or an alternative bond of KSh 1 million.
It was not clarified in court whether the suspect is related to Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli.
Source: Original
Was a fake KDF brigadier arrested in Kilimani?
In a related development, a man who claimed to be a retired Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer was arrested in Kilimani after allegedly impersonating a brigadier and issuing fake Ministry of Defence recruitment letters.
Detectives reportedly found him dressed in full military uniform during the operation.
Investigators also recovered several suspected forged documents, including admission letters, calling letters, fingerprint forms and a KCSE certificate linked to a victim.
Authorities believe he had been distributing the fake documents to unsuspecting Kenyans.
The prosecution told the court it needed more time to complete investigations and argued that the suspect was a flight risk.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
