A woman has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment by a Machakos court after she was found guilty of swindling a self-help group of sh 102,280.
Resident magistrate Yusuf Shikanda also ordered Catherine Mutinda to pay the entire amount of money that was owed to Kiasa Women Self Group where she was serving as the chairlady.
Mutinda broke into tears immediately the sentence was read after the court turned down her request to have the sentence reviewed.
According to the charges, the accused is said to have committed the offense on December 18 last year after she failed to deposit the money as had been agreed among the 37 members of the group.
The money had been given to her by Loisa Nduku, who was the group’s treasurer for banking but the former later claimed the money had been stolen from her as she was on her way to the bank.
This claim infuriated her fellow members who read mischief and decided to report the matter to the Chumvi Police Station.
She was later arrested and investigations into the matter ensued before being arraigned in court to face criminal charges.
Shikanda has equally ordered the accused to be refunded any bail money she might have paid to the court before she begins serving her sentence.
“It is too late to revisit my judgment. I, therefore, direct that you serve one year in jail. In the meantime, let arrangements be made to have any bail in court’s possession refunded to you,” ordered Shitanda.
In the same court, an elderly man who admitted to charges of attempted murder has been ordered to deposit sh 50,000 as bond.
Munyao Musili is charged that on February 18 this year while at Chumu Mithini village, Mwala Sub County, Machakos County and while armed with a machete threatened to kill Nthenya Musili.