Two directors of Waki Clearing & Forwarding Agents Ltd have been charged with obtaining money by false pretences following investigations into a disputed Sh45 million land transaction in Karen, Nairobi.
The suspects, identified as Obadiah Kamau Kihara and Hannah Wanjiku Mbatia, were arrested on November 6, 2026, before being arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts on Monday, November 9.
The case stems from a land purchase agreement entered into on March 30, 2026, in which a buyer agreed to acquire a parcel measuring approximately 0.2042 hectares along Comboni Crescent in Karen at a cost of Sh45 million.
According to investigations, the complainant paid Sh25 million as an initial deposit, with the remaining amount expected to be settled as the transfer process commenced.
However, the anticipated transfer of ownership failed to materialise, prompting the buyer to report the matter to the police.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), through the Land Fraud Investigation Unit (LFIU), launched investigations into the transaction.
Investigations established that the accused had received the Sh25 million deposit.
Further inquiries revealed that disputes over the property’s boundaries had emerged, prompting the vendor to pursue the amalgamation and fresh subdivision of neighbouring parcels.
The proposed changes left the property under the company’s ownership and complicated the original agreement, leaving the buyer without a definitive assurance of acquiring the land despite having paid the deposit based on the existing title and measurements.
Following the investigations, the case file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which approved charges of obtaining money by false pretences, contrary to Section 313 of the Penal Code.
The two directors denied the charges when they appeared before the Milimani Law Courts.
They were each granted bond of Sh100,000 or an alternative cash bail of Sh50,000.
The matter is scheduled for mention on November 24, 2026, as the legal process continues.
