Three former employees of a popular Nairobi liquor outlet, Highbury Liquor Shop, have been charged in court for allegedly stealing alcoholic stock and proceeds worth Sh7.2 million through a coordinated digital fraud scheme.
The accused — Pecina Aduma Onyango, Caroline Akinyi Ouma, and Margaret Wanjiku Ruguru — were arraigned before Kibera Senior Principal Magistrate Margaret Murage, where they denied charges of stealing by servant and conspiracy to defraud.
Witness Testifies on How the Fraud Was Executed
During a hearing before the court, a key prosecution witness detailed how the three suspects allegedly manipulated payment systems to siphon company funds.
“They had a foreign M-Pesa number that they secretly shared with our customers. Anyone buying liquor and paying via mobile money was unknowingly sending funds to their private account,” the witness testified.
According to the testimony, the scheme went undetected for months until a loyal customer inadvertently exposed the parallel payment number to management. The discovery triggered an internal audit, which revealed that millions of shillings in revenue had been diverted.
DCI Tracks Down the Suspects
Following the discovery, the suspects reportedly went into hiding, prompting an official report to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). The three were later traced and arrested after weeks of investigation.
Court documents show that the offense was allegedly committed between January 1 and August 13, 2025, at the Highbury Liquor Shop located along 14 Riverside Drive, Kileleshwa.
According to the charge sheet, the accused persons jointly stole Sh7,233,919, being proceeds from the sale of alcoholic drinks that were meant to be remitted to the company.
Breach of Trust
The prosecution described the case as a breach of trust, noting that the accused had worked at the company for several years and were entrusted with managing daily sales and digital transactions.
“The accused persons took advantage of their long-standing employment and the trust bestowed upon them to commit the offense,” the prosecutor told the court.
The court further heard that the trio shared the stolen proceeds among themselves before fleeing when their fraudulent activities came to light.
Bail Terms and Ongoing Hearing
The three women denied all charges and were released on a bond of Sh2 million each, with an alternative cash bail of Sh200,000 and a surety of a similar amount.
The court has since heard testimony from senior management officials at Highbury Liquor Shop, with more witnesses expected to take the stand in the coming hearings.
The case will be mentioned later this month for further hearing and witness submissions.