Pastor charged with defrauding ‘spiritual daughter’ Sh2.6m in cattle deal
A pastor, Johnson Kintalel Nkuku, has been charged with defrauding a believer of Sh2.6 million in a cattle deal that never materialised.
What you need to know:
- The woman's boyfriend is listed as a witness as there was no formal agreement.
- She said she trusted the pastor.
A pastor has been charged with defrauding a believer who is also a businesswoman of Sh2.6 million in a cattle deal that never materialised.
Pastor Johnson Kintalel Nkuku denied before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki that he defrauded Yvonne Teeti of the colossal sum.
Testifying before Mr Ondieki, Ms Teeti told the court that she gave the money to her "spiritual father" because she trusted him to buy 100 head of cattle for her investment.
Asked by the prosecutor if she knew Mr Nkuku, Ms Teeti said she had met him seven years before the deal.
She told the court that Mr Nkuku, the preacher and pastor of the Dominion Church in Narok, came up with the idea of assisting his "spiritual daughter" - the victim - in a cattle ranch where he would provide shelter for the purchased cattle.
Send him money
They agreed that Ms Teeti would send him money as he knew where to get about 100 head of cattle and also had extensive experience in cattle rearing.
She told the court that the transactions were mostly done through M-Pesa and in cash, where no formal agreement was made but only witnessed by her boyfriend, who will appear before the court as a witness.
According to bank and M-Pesa statements presented to the court, Ms Teeti withdrew a total of Sh1,020,000 from the Co-Operative Bank of Kenya between December 8 and 10, 2020, after which the amount was given to the pastor.
"I trusted the pastor so much and could not disagree with anything he said that I never entered into a signed agreement nor did I visit his place and see the purchased cattle," she said.
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The court also heard that the trust between her and the preacher grew to the point that when she bought a pick-up truck, the preacher told her that God wanted her to give him the vehicle so that he could pray over it and anoint it.
Handed over a pick-up
When she handed over the pick-up vehicle for the "special prayers", he remained with it for an extended period of six months, claiming not to be done with the prayers.
The court heard that the complainant later sought the intervention of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
She continued to send the money to the preacher until 2023 when the total had reached a whopping Sh2,664,109 after which she asked for the cattle.
She told the court that the preacher began to behave strangely, saying that he was not at home because he was engaged in ministry elsewhere. When she insisted on going to see him, his phones went off.
"I realised something was wrong when I noticed that he was cutting me off and would not allow me to visit his house where he claimed the herd was. It was then that I decided to report the matter to the DCI," the court heard.
Arrested and charged
The preacher was subsequently arrested and charged.
Mr Nkuku was accused of obtaining the sum of Sh2,664,109 from Ms Teeti on various dates between March 1, 2021, and April 30, 2023, within Nairobi CBD with intent to defraud by pretending to be in a position to buy her a herd of cows.
At one point, Ms Teeti, overcome with emotion, pleaded with the court to fight for her to recover the money she lost in the scam.
"Your Honour, I beg this court to fight for me to get justice and get my money back," she pleaded.
The court was adjourned till April 15, 2024, when the matter will be heard.
