Nine small-scale traders are part of a group that has been accused of forging KCB Bank Kenya deposit slips, defrauding a Nairobi city centre landlord of Sh3.6 million in rent.

The tenants at the World Business Centre (WBC) within the central business district (CBD) who were charged before Milimani senior principal magistrate Robinson Ondieki denied 20 counts of forgery and uttering the fake KCB deposit slips to the proprietor of WBC, Patrick Githinji Mwangi.

The nine before court are Amos Bundi Jacob, Jacinta Kanini Muia, Prudential Bosibori Mochama, Pauline Wambui Mwangi, Antony Kiongo Mathenge, Gladys Mokeira Isaiah, Naomi Nyanusi Ogomba, Purity Wambura Gitari and Lilian Wairimu Ngunje.

While testifying how he discovered the fraud Mr Mwangi said he and other directors of WBC went to withdraw money from KCB to finance another project “only to discover for three years their account was yawning with no money”.

Mr Mwangi and other directors reported to the police to investigate why their account did not have money yet the traders had furnished them with hundreds of bank deposit slips.

Fake deposit slips

Mr Mwangi, who testified before Justice Ondieki, claimed the tenants made fake deposit slips, which bore the stamp of KCB Tom Mboya Branch.

He said he discovered that the nine tenants and others who have since offered to settle their rents had not remitted “actual rent for three years”.

“We have given all our tenants the WBC Account number where they deposit rent then present the deposit slip to the management office,” Mr Mwangi told Justice Ondieki.

All the nine traders have denied the charges preferred against them.

Hearing continues.

Mr Mwangi who is also an established businessman and director of Fig Tree Hotel presented the magistrate with thousands of KCB deposit slips “which appeared to be genuine on the face of it but were fake.”

He identified all the nine accused persons in the dock and added “they are still my tenants but these days they pay genuinely.”

“Is Amos Bundi Jacob and the eight others still your tenants to date?" a prosecutor asked Mr Mwangi to which he answered, “Yes they are still my tenants to date.”

Mr Bundi denied he forged five KCB deposit slips for Sh95,000 between August 20 2018 and November 16 2018.

Kanini is accused of forging 13 KCB deposit slips for Sh741,000 for the period between August 9 2018 and July 10, 2019.

Prudential forged deposit slips for Sh292,500 in rent for the period August 13 2018 and May 6, 2019.

Pauline Wambui Mwangi forged rent deposit slips for Sh57,000 for the month of June 11, 2019.

Mathenge is accused of forging rent deposit slips for Sh292,300 while Mokeira allegedly forged rent for Sh31,000.

Wambura is alleged to have forged rent for Sh90,000 while Lilian Wairimu forged rent for Sh191,000 and Ngunje was accused of forging rent deposit slips for Sh191,000.

The magistrate heard the bank was made aware of the forgery by police when they presented “fake deposit slips printed without KCB’s knowledge plus a branch KCB bank stamp.”