Casual labourer loses Sh290,000, expensive phone in Nairobi club after wild partying

A casual labourer is nursing emotional and financial wounds after a night of fun at a popular club along Nairobi’s bustling River Road turned into a nightmare that cost him Sh290,000 and his mobile phone.

Joseph Kioli Katumo, who earns a living selling carrier bags and doing odd jobs in Nairobi’s Central Business District, had gone to unwind at the club on the night of April 26, 2023.

According to police reports, he was alone until around 10pm, when he was approached by Paul Maina Githinji and Mary Muthoni Kamau, who joined him at his table.

The evening took a lively turn as the trio indulged in rounds of alcohol, with Katumo footing the bill via M-Pesa.

Witnesses say the group appeared friendly and deep in conversation, laughing and dancing as the hours wore on.

However, at around 4am, the mood shifted and when Katumo decided to leave, he realised his phone, valued at Sh12,000, was missing.

Upon confronting the two, they allegedly turned hostile, roughing him up before the club’s bouncers ejected him from the premises. He was left injured and confused outside the club.

The following morning, Katumo replaced his SIM card, only to discover that Sh290,000 had been wiped from his mobile money account in a matter of hours.

Records later showed that the money had been withdrawn in five separate transactions, sent to unregistered Airtel numbers and accounts at SMB Bank.

Shocked and distraught, Katumo reported the matter to the police, who launched investigations and subsequently arrested Githinji and Kamau.

They were arraigned before Principal Magistrate Hon. Stephanie Beth at the Makadara Law Courts, where they denied the charges and were each granted a cash bail of Sh100,000.

The case is scheduled for hearing on November 3, as authorities warn club-goers to exercise caution when mingling with strangers in nightlife hotspots.