Court Convicts 70-Year-Old Man for Defrauding Widow of Sh750,000 Pension

Nairobi, Kenya – August 6, 2025

A Nairobi magistrate’s court has found a 70-year-old man guilty of orchestrating a calculated fraud that saw a vulnerable widow lose Sh750,000 in pension benefits left behind by her late husband — a former civil servant.

The convict, Samuel Gichuru, was sentenced on Tuesday after Senior Principal Magistrate Miriam Mugure ruled that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that he knowingly misrepresented himself as a legitimate agent to claim the funds.

The Deception: Posing as a Pension Consultant

According to court documents, Gichuru approached the widow in 2021, shortly after her husband’s death, claiming to have connections within the Pensions Department at the Treasury. He offered to “facilitate a faster release” of her deceased husband’s terminal benefits in exchange for a 10% service fee.

After gaining her trust and collecting personal identification documents — including copies of the death certificate and marriage certificate — he then allegedly manipulated bank details and diverted the lump sum payout to an account under his control.

The widow only discovered the fraud months later when no money was credited to her bank. An inquiry at the Pensions Department confirmed that the funds had already been processed — and released to a different account.

Conviction and Sentencing

Delivering the verdict, Magistrate Mugure described Gichuru’s actions as “a gross betrayal of public trust and a cruel exploitation of grief.” She noted that the accused had taken advantage of the widow’s limited legal knowledge and emotional vulnerability, and showed no remorse during the trial.

He was convicted of obtaining money by false pretenses under Section 313 of the Penal Code and uttering false documents. The court sentenced him to three years in prison without the option of a fine, citing the need to send a strong message to fraudsters targeting pensioners and bereaved families.

Justice Served, But Wider Concern Raised

The case has renewed concerns over the growing number of pension-related scams in Kenya, where delayed processing times and opaque systems have created loopholes exploited by fake agents and fraudsters.

Legal experts and civil society groups have called on the government to digitize pension processing, tighten identity verification protocols, and conduct public awareness campaigns to help families navigate the process without falling prey to con artists.

“This conviction is welcome, but it’s a symptom of a much larger systemic problem,” said a legal officer from Haki Yetu, a human rights organization based in Nairobi. “The elderly and grieving are often easy targets — and the state must do more to protect them.”