Two suspects were charged before a Kibera Law court, Nairobi in relation to the theft of motorcycles worth Sh. 10 million over a period of one year.
According to the statements and documents filed in court, a leading Kenyan motorcycle supplier distributing a brand identified only as Beth, laid bare detailed a series of events concerning the alleged mismanagement and theft of motorcycles by one of their former female sales agents turned dealers.
In court documents made available to us, it is said the dealer, who now imports bikes branded with her own name, was provided with motorcycles valued at Sh. 10 million between the year 2020 and 2021, under a verbal contractual agreement. The agreement purportedly did involve consignment sales, with proceeds having been agreed to be remitted to the individual’s companies through specified bank accounts upon each sale.
However, suspicions began to arise when one of the company partners began to make visits to the dealer’s outlets confirming the absence of the majority of the motorcycles provided to her, prompting concerns of either unauthorized sales or theft.
Further investigations, including spot checks and soft audits, indicated there did exist a significant discrepancy in the inventory at her premises, suggesting either unreported sales or theft by the dealer.
To bolster their findings, the company engaged the services of a fraud examiner who confirmed the Company’s fear that the said dealer had sold bikes, and used the money to import her own motorcycles all in a meticulously planned and elaborate con that would allow her to proceed with her business without making any payments to the company.
Additionally, discussions with one of the local financiers, revealed evidence of sales facilitated by the dealer accompanied by fraudulent invoicing wherein the dealer allegedly altered invoices bearing the individual’s company letterheads to redirect payments to her own accounts.
Consequently, the company asserts that the dealer may have misled the bank into making payments to her accounts instead of the intended company accounts. Allegedly, upon receiving these funds, she failed to remit them to the rightful to the company and instead utilized them for her own personal gain.
In connection to this theft, two suspects namely Beatrice Njeri Chege and Joey Maina Motiga, appeared before the Kibera Law courts on April 16, 2024 with the matter being scheduled for another hearing on May 21, 2024.