By Peter John
A cooperative society chairman has pleaded not guilty to allegations of obtaining money by false pretence amounting to over Ksh 7.3 million from a coffee dealer.
Leonard Morice Murwayi appeared before the Milimani Law Courts, charged with obtaining USD 47,600 (approximately Ksh 7.3 million) from Abdulkarim Abdulrazak Ismail between September 27 and October 15, 2024, at Cooperative Bank in Busia Town.
According to prosecution, Murwayi, jointly with others not before the court, allegedly pretended that he was in a position to sell 19.2 tons of Robusta coffee through Busia Robusta Coffee Growers Farmers Cooperative Limited — a claim the prosecution says was false.
Murwayi, however, denied the allegations, telling the court that the issue arose because he serves as the chairman of the cooperative.
He maintained that the cooperative is ready to deliver the remaining coffee to the dealer once he provides the name of a registered company that deals in coffee production, as the commodity is not ordinarily released to individuals.
He further assured the court that the payment to the complainant would be completed by the end of the harvesting period in December.
The accused was granted a bond of Ksh 1 million or an alternative cash bail of Ksh 100,000. The court directed that he be supplied with copies of witness statements to prepare his defence.
The matter will be mentioned on November 6, 2025, before Court No. 10 for pre-trial.
