By Andrew Kariuki
A Nairobi court has granted bail to Omar Athman Omar, the imam charged with obtaining money by false pretences in an alleged Umrah travel scam, after finding no sufficient grounds to keep him in custody.
In its ruling, the court held that the prosecution had not demonstrated compelling reasons to justify continued detention, despite earlier objections citing him as a flight risk and possible interference with investigations.
The court released the accused on a cash bail of Ksh 400,000, with an alternative bond of a similar amount, pending the hearing of the case.
Omar is accused of fraudulently obtaining Ksh 774,000 from Mohamed Salim Bahlewa in December 2025, after allegedly promising to facilitate Umrah visas for the complainant and his family.
The visas were never secured and the complainant told investigators that the accused became unreachable after the scheduled travel date of December 29, 2025 passed.
Prosecutors had opposed bail, arguing that the accused had previously left the country for Saudi Arabia, had no fixed residence within the court’s jurisdiction, and could use his position as a religious leader to influence witnesses.
They also told the court that investigations were ongoing and that another similar complaint had been lodged at Lang’ata Police Station.
However, the court ruled that these concerns did not meet the legal threshold required to deny bail.
The matter is scheduled for mention on February 24, 2026, as investigations continue.
