Cleric charged at Makadara court for allegedly defrauding Sh30,000 from mourning family

A female cleric is entangled in a Sh430,000 hospital fee evasion scheme and fraud claims after she allegedly conned a mourning family Sh30,000 claiming she was in a position to facilitate the dodge Sh0.4million hospital bill at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

Reverend Emily Muthoni Mwangi is accused of cheating Hannah Wangari to part with the money while pretending to be in a position to help evade Sh430,000 treatment bill at KNH.

In the process of the fraudulent plot, Reverend Muthoni allegedly conned the mourning family of Sh30, 000 while promising to facilitate clearance of their deceased kin’s hospital bill to get the body for burial.

She is now facing charges of cheating contrary to section 315 of the Penal Code before the Makadara law courts in Nairobi.

However, while appearing before the Makadara Chief Magistrate Kennedy Bidali, she denied the charges.

She is accused of committing the alleged offence in Maili Saba, Njiru Sub County in Nairobi raised during the first funeral meeting on June 15.

Wangari’s cousin had died of throat cancer while undergoing treatment at the KNH and where the body was being preserved awaiting clearance of the hospital bill before burial.

The Sh30, 000 allegedly stolen by Mwangi was the amount contributed during the first funeral meeting which the cleric attended.

Mwangi had gotten very close to the family after Wangari’s cousin was diagnosed with cancer in March.

She had promised Wangari and her cousin’s wife that she could use the Sh30, 000 to facilitate a waiver of the bill at KNH for the family within a week so they could get a clearance certificate to collect the body of the deceased for burial.

The family went to collect the body after one week but Mwangi introduced them to social workers at the hospital and allegedly vanished.

Upon enquiring from the social workers, Wangari and her family gathered that the reverend had not made any payments at the hospital and if any money had been paid, receipts should be made available.

Mwangi went underground, completely evaded and ended communication with family.

The matter was reported at Mowlem police station on June 27 and three family members including Wangari and her cousin’s wife recorded statements with the police.

Mwangi was summoned to the station the same day and she was arrested after interrogation and later arraigned at the Makadara Law Courts.

She was released on a cash bail of Sh30,000 and an alternative bond of Sh50, 000.

The matter will be mentioned on July 23, 2025 before hearing starts on May 6, this year.