Brian Sleeves Obare
A Milimani court was brought to drama after a businessman, Brian Sleeves Obare, who allegedly stole Sh51 million from a travel consultancy, tried to defend himself.
The turn in the case took place after the prosecution witness told a Nairobi court that more than Sh51 million was paid to him (Obare) after he allegedly posed as a Canadian Embassy official to process visas that never materialised, leaving dozens of hopeful travellers stranded, arrested at airports, or turned back during transit.
Additionally, after spilling the beans and narrating how the accused person orchestrated his fraud, the witness in the case, Lydia Nyagala, was at a hot spot over her identity, especially where she was accused by the defence of faking her identity at the I&M bank.
She also told the court that her husband, Mr Bonventure, had another wife called Nancy Nanjira.
While testifying against Obare, Lydia Nyangala said that the company engaged him between March 2022 and November 2023 to facilitate Canadian visa applications for its clients.
It was her testimony that Obare was introduced to the firm by one Esnas Mboga, who was a friend to Nancy Najira; Obare presented him as a counsellor attached to the Canadian Embassy.
Additionally, she narrated that she first met the accused at Embassy House in Nairobi’s central business district, where he represented himself as a consular official.
The court heard that under the arrangement, clients paid Golden Key Travel Consultants, which would then remit the money to Obare for visa processing, as he had promised.
The Milimani Principal Magistrate heard that the agreed fee per client was Sh450,000, with an initial deposit of Sh124,500.
While testifying in court, Lydia Nyangala said that the firm collected passports and supporting documents from clients, including passports, identity cards, birth certificates, marriage certificates, academic papers, digital photographs, police clearance certificates, COVID-19 certificates, and yellow fever cards, which were then forwarded to the accused together with payments.
She said communication with Obare was mainly conducted through calls and WhatsApp, and that he would later send documents allegedly meant for biometrics before demanding full payment.
The court heard that the accused person never did as agreed, forcing the matter to be reported to the police, and he was arraigned and charged in court for the offence of obtaining money by false pretences.
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