A man was on Thursday charged before a Nairobi Court with obtaining money by false pretence after he allegedly solicited Sh150,000 from a senior public official.
Laban Mutuku Lola was accused of soliciting the money on January 5, 2020, under the pretence that he could help James Tama Musyoka's wife get employment at the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
He appeared before Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina, where he denied having obtained the money.
The court released him on a bond of Sh300,000 with a surety of the same amount or a cash bail of Sh200,000.
Lola was arraigned following an arrest by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday.
The arrest came after the Commission received a report in early January 2020 that the suspect had been pretending to be an NIS officer and soliciting money.
Then, he was arrested after receiving Sh150,000 from the complainant but was released by the EACC on a cash bail of Sh20,000 pending the finalisation of investigations.
Confirming Wednesday's arrest, EACC Spokesperson Eric Ngumbi said Lola had jumped bail and defied the Commission's summons to appear before it.
Ngumbi added that the suspect had been on the run since April 24, 2023, when the DPP concurred with recommendations of EACC to prosecute him.
During that time, it is said he continued extorting money from unsuspecting persons pretending that he was in a position to secure them employment at NIS and other strategic government agencies.
Come Wednesday, Lola was arrested from his hideout in Umoja 3 Estate and detained at Kilimani Police Station pending today's arraignment.
The man is suspected to be among criminals who are increasingly taking advantage of unemployed Kenyans.
They are said to extort money from these people under the pretext of securing their or their children's employment in the security sector and other government agencies.
EACC has urged the public to remain vigilant to avoid falling into the traps of such impostors.
"EACC urges members of the public to remain vigilant to avoid falling into the traps of such impostors who continue to extort huge amounts of money from them partly due to the peculiar readiness of most Kenyans to bribe their way into perceived opportunities," EACC said.
The matter will be mentioned on October 17, 2023.
