Man Arrested for Defrauding Nursing Home of Sh940,000 in False Shipping Deal

Police have arrested a 50-year-old man for allegedly defrauding a Nakuru-based nursing home of nearly Sh1 million in a false shipping deal.

Samuel Mwendwa Mutua is accused of swindling St. Joseph’s Maternity and Nursing Home of Sh948,000 through his company World Freight Logistics Limited. 

The health facility last year contracted Mutua’s company to import equipment including hospital beds, mortuary equipment, theater beds, and a dental chair from China as part of its expansion.

On November 6th, 2020, the hospital wired Sh407,000 to the company’s account for freight charges after Mutua claimed that the China-based vendor consolidated the shipment into a 40-feet container and settled it on Oceanus Intn’l Logistics (Shenzen) Co. Ltd.

On December 8th, 2020, St Joseph’s sent Sh158,200 to the suspect for shipping line charges and container deposits as a clearance permit from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.

The facility then paid him Sh383,000 on April 4th, 2021 to cater for Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) rent and Sh183,000 as World Freight Logistics agency fee.

Having received the money totaling Sh948,200, the suspect disappeared after making a series of false promises to deliver the consignment.

The hospital filed a complaint at DCI’s Complaints Directorate after learning that the suspect not only defrauded them but also auctioned their shipment on overstay grounds at the Embakasi Inland Container Depot (ICD).

“Investigations conducted by the DCI established that having received the Sh948,200 from the hospital, the suspect neither paid the freight charges to Oceanus Co. Ltd, rent to KPA nor the container deposits,” said DCI.

“Further, swift transfer forms presented by the suspect alleging to have paid USD 3,275 to the China-based company as freight charges was found to be fake.”

Mutua is being held in custody pending arraignment to face charges of obtaining money by false pretenses, forgery, and making a document without lawful authority.