This archive report was first published on 21 June 2020.
Published on June 21, 2020, authorities in Kenya are seeking the extradition of Joshua Muthee Kiura, a 29-year-old man who fled to the US after allegedly defrauding investors of millions of shillings.
Kiura posed as an online forex broker, promising investors huge returns on their investments, with those who invested above Sh1 million assured of returns of up to 10 percent per month and eight percent on anything between Sh100,000 and Sh1 million.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Kiura's scheme involved falsely obtaining millions of shillings from unsuspecting investors before fleeing the country.
DCI head George Kinoti said the process of obtaining a warrant of arrest against Kiura has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the Judiciary suspending some services, including the execution of warrants of arrest.
“The investigation file is ready. Once we obtain the warrant of arrest we shall also be contacting the US authorities as guided by the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to bring him back to face charges,” said Kinoti.
Some of Kiura's victims, including businessmen Timothy Mugunde and Japheth Kaeke Musyoka, lost over Sh10 million combined, with Musyoka losing Sh9 million.
“I had resigned from my job to start a business. I handed to him all my benefits on the promise of good returns,” said Musyoka.
