Job seeker loses phone, ID to crafty thief at Uhuru Park – Nairobi News

A 30-year-old police impostor who allegedly stole a desperate job seeker’s phone promising to hire him to help in making deliveries to Kenya Defence Forces was charged with theft and impersonation.

Samuel Mwaniki Murigi was accused of stealing Evans Onyango Ogutu’s phone and national ID card at Imenti House on July 23.

Murigi was also accused of impersonation after presenting himself as a police officer attached to Central Police station Nairobi to Ogutu.

Ogutu was taking a rest at Uhuru Park after a job search in and around Nairobi CBD became fruitless when Murigi sat next to him while on-call, purporting he was advising his phantom boss that he would need to hire an extra hand to help him with meeting supplies.

Murigi claimed his boss had secured a contract to supply some items to Kenya Defence Forces and desperate Ogutu approached him for the job.

The suspect reportedly told Ogutu to accompany him to Imenti House to process a pass into military facilities to begin the job immediately and he obliged.

On arrival, Murigi reportedly took the phone and the ID card to proceed with the “process” and disappeared in thin air. The matter was reported to Parliament police station.

On July 4, Ogutu spotted Murigi at the same point and informed the police. Two undercover officers arrested Murigi and allegedly found pictures of himself in different police uniforms.

The suspect denied all the charges before chief magistrate Joyce Gandani of Kibera law courts.

He was freed on a Sh200,000 bond and an alternative cash bail of Sh30,000. The case will be mentioned on August 19.