Nairobi Police Officer Charged Over Alleged Ksh 905,000 Cheating Scheme Involving Restaurant Manager

A Nairobi police officer is facing criminal charges after allegedly obtaining Ksh 905,000 from a restaurant manager through a series of M-Pesa transfers.

Sammy Osangir Eshalai is accused of receiving the money from Consolata Wairimu Gichuki, whom he had reportedly known for around six years. The two grew closer during the COVID-19 curfew period, after Eshalai allegedly assisted Gichuki when she was arrested at the time. He later became a frequent visitor at the restaurant in Fedha, Embakasi, where she worked as a manager.

According to the complaint, Eshalai approached Gichuki for financial help in April, claiming he had lost important personal documents and needed money to replace them. He reportedly told her he would repay the funds once he accessed money from his police SACCO account.

Gichuki says she sent him several payments via M-Pesa after accepting his explanation, with the total eventually reaching Ksh 905,000. She reportedly borrowed money from friends on some occasions to meet his requests.

The complaint states that Eshalai failed to repay the money as promised, leading Gichuki to suspect she had been misled. She subsequently reported the matter to police.

Eshalai was arrested and charged with cheating in connection with the complaint. He denied the charges when he appeared in court and was later released on a cash bail of Ksh 200,000 as the case proceeds.

The court will now weigh whether the prosecution can establish that Eshalai obtained the Ksh 905,000 through fraudulent representations.