A Kisumu based clergyman was convicted of fraud was on Tuesday has been denied bail by a Kisumu court, in order to allow completion of investigations. Chief magistrate Esther Maina said that the prosecution had demonstrated the need of having Maxwell Okoth detained as he might interfere with the ongoing investigations.
Okoth had earlier denied the fraud charges. He accused of defrauding a woman of Sh90, 000. The court heard that the accused had promised to sell a parcel of located in Miwani to Beatrice Koech for sh150, 000. According to the prosecution, Okoth showed the complainant the piece of land, and they agreed that Koech should pay Sh90, 000 as a deposit, something she complied with.
The transaction allegedly took place on the July 20. However when Koech decided to go and fence the land she was turned away by a man who claimed that the land belonged to him and he had all the necessary documents to support him. She tried contacting Okoth but his phone went unanswered, raising her suspicion that prompted her to report the matter with the police. Police launched investigations into the matter which culminated in the arrest of the accused on Sunday at his Imani Church premises in Kisumu. The case will resume on August 18.