Nairobi Minority Chief Whip Peter Imwatok has been charged in court for obtaining money by false pretence.
Court documents stated that Imwatok was accused of obtaining Ksh2.19 million from Fresky Bett between February 1 and October 31, 2017.
The prosecution told Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot that the MCA had allegedly defrauded the victim who was looking to buy a parcel of land.
He was thereafter freed on a Ksh 300,000 cash bail, with his lawyers arguing he was not a flight risk.
Unsuspecting Kenyans have been conned multiple times with land cases topping, alongside mobile money fraud.
Before buying land in Kenya it’s good to visit the Lands Registry to conduct a search of the parcel in question.
Involving trustworthy lawyers is also important to make sure that the sale will be legitimate in order to avoid losing money to fraudsters.
The seller is supposed to draft a sales agreement through a lawyer, to be presented to the buyer’s advocate after which the deposit is made to the seller’s lawyer.
Another avenue that gives cons the opportunity to defraud Kenyans is the transfer of documents which is only executed after consent to transfer has been issued by the Commissioner of Lands.
Involving a valuer from the government is necessary to determine the true value of the land on the open market as at the date of transfer.
It is the responsibility of a buyer to pay stamp duty and once the registration process is complete, the legal ownership of the land is effected
Upon receipt of the complete documents from the seller, the buyer is obligated, in exchange for the documents, to pay to the seller the entire balance against the land through their lawyer.
