Kenya: former employee charged over 89.5 million shillings
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Citizen
Bernard Kariuki Ngugi, a former credit control manager at an insurance company, is being prosecuted in Kenya over the alleged embezzlement of 89.5 million shillings. He denies charges of theft, money laundering and related offences, and was released on bail before a 10 November hearing, reports Citizen.
Bernard Kariuki Ngugi, a former credit control manager at a Kenyan insurance company, was charged on Friday 23 October in Nairobi with the alleged misappropriation of 89.579 million shillings (about €620,000). He denies charges of theft by servant, money laundering and related offences, according to Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Investigators from the banking fraud unit suspect that Ngugi used his access to the insurer’s financial systems between 2018 and November 2025 to bring three companies into the payment chain. Auris General Merchants Ltd allegedly received 35.27 million shillings, Donbitz Global Limited 32.68 million and Pedram Global Limited 21.63 million, according to the DCI.
The DCI says these companies had no legitimate commercial relationship with the insurer and that subsequent withdrawals and transfers were allegedly used to conceal the origin of the funds. The case was sent to the Kenyan prosecution service, which approved the charges. Ngugi was released on a bond of 2 million shillings or an alternative cash bail of 800,000 shillings. The case will be heard on 10 November to set directions for the trial.
The charge follows the arrest in Nairobi of a suspect in a separate case involving the theft of 96 million shillings by cyber means, announced on 1 October. Kenya also announced on 23 October the recovery of 12.57 million shillings paid illegally.
