Televangelist, David Kariuki Ngari, popularly known as Gakuyo, has been charged with defrauding members of the public of over Sh1 billion.
Gakuyo, who runs Ekeza Sacco, is accused of conspiring to mislead the public into believing he could invest their money in real estate and the money market. The prosecution claims he obtained over Sh1 billion through these false pretences.
He denied 12 counts of fraud brought against him before Judge Ben Mark of the Milimani Law Courts. He was released on a cash bail of Sh10 million and ordered to surrender his passport to the court.
State prosecutor Henry Kinyanjui did not oppose bail but emphasized the significant public interest in the case.
This is after defense lawyers, including Danstan Omari, argued for reasonable bail terms, stating that Gakuyo, as a religious leader, relies on contributions from his congregation.
Mr. Omari specifically said, “Your honour, bishops have no money. They live on tithe and offertory. His fellow parishioners will contribute to having him be freed on bond.”
Kinyanjui countered by highlighting the financial losses suffered by the alleged victims, stating, “But Mr. Kinyanjui responded by saying members of the public lost their hard-earned money.”
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had initially requested four days to complete their investigation and sought to detain Gakuyo. He was reportedly arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport while attempting to leave the country for Zambia.
More charges are expected to be filed against Gakuyo as the investigation progresses.
