How Pastor Conned Wife of Confessed Kenyan Drug Trafficker Baktash Akasha Sh5 Million Using Uhuru’s Name

A man was this week arrested for allegedly conning the wife of confessed Kenyan drug trafficker Baktash Akasha out of millions of shillings.

Chris Mwai Ngweti, who was arrested in Mombasa, is accused of falsely obtaining Sh5.5 million from Baktash’s wife, Najma Juma Hassan with the promise of helping her husband and his brother Ibrahim, who were facing drugs charges in the US, return to Kenya.

Police said Ngweti, jointly with others, presented to Ms. Najma, letters purporting to have originated from Office of the President, Foreign Affairs Ministry and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) authorizing the return of Baktash and Ibrahim from the US.

Ngweti and his accomplices allegedly posed as State House operatives and demanded Sh5.5 million from Ms. Najma to secure the return of the Akasha brothers.

Ngweti was on Thursday arraigned before Shanzu Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo where he was charged with two counts of conspiracy to defraud and commit a felony.

He is accused of committing the offenses between October 9th, 2018 and November 15th, 2018, according to the charge sheet.

Ngweti, who is reported to be a pastor at a local church in Shanzu, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a Sh1 million cash bail or on an alternative bond of Sh2 million.
Ms. Najma said Ngweti linked her with a man named Stephen Nzioka who would later link her with the State House to meet President Kenyatta over the return of her husband and brother-in-law.

Nzioka traveled with her from Mombasa to Nairobi where they were purportedly set to meet Kenyatta and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma.

The man alleged that Kenyatta and Ms. Juma were to help in facilitating the return of the Akashas. When they arrived in Nairobi, Nzioka demanded Sh500,000 from Ms. Najma which was to be given to State House comptroller Kinuthia Mbugua to organize a meeting with Kenyatta, whom she was told was busy with other engagements.

He also demanded another Sh500,000 to be given to the Foreign Affairs office to facilitate the issuance of the letter that would facilitate the extradition process.

Nzioka later gave Ms. Najma an unsigned and unstamped letter allegedly written by CS Juma and other letters signed by Mbugua. In addition, she was given another fake letter alleged to have come from US DEA and signed by Mr. Abdalla, whom she was told had been instructed by the president to handle her matter.

Nzioka promised the Akashas would return home after four days, but Ms. Najma later learned she was duped after giving millions to the fraudsters. Ms. Najma never met the president, Foreign Affairs CS or Mbugua for the many days she spent in Nairobi.

The two Akasha brothers pleaded guilty to several counts of drug trafficking and bribery before a New York court on October 2018. 

Baktash was sentenced to 25 years in US jail on August 16th this year, while his brother Ibrahim is set to be sentenced on November 8th.

Ngweti’s case will be mentioned on November 14th.