Nairobi, Kenya, Feb 10 – A man has admitted before a Mombasa Court to obtaining Sh600,000 from an insurance company by falsifying the deaths of his family members.
The Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution said Friday, Philip Odero obtained the last expense claims from UAP Old Mutual Insurance, receiving the payments between June 2, 2021, and November 19, 2021.
Odero who appeared before the Mombasa resident Magistrate Viola Muthoni Thursday was charged with three counts of obtaining money through false pretenses and one count of attempting to do the same.
He is accused of making a false insurance claim with UAP Old Mutual, claiming that three beneficiaries he insured – Veronica Anyango Odero, Benedetta Makanda Kauma, and Seraphine Anyango Juma – had passed on.
In the first count, Odero admitted to obtaining Sh100,000 as a last expense claim from UAP on June 2, 2021, at a banking facility in Mombasa County by falsely pretending that Veronica Anyango Odero had died on June 16, 2021.
In the second count, he is accused of obtaining a similar amount as a last expense claim by falsely claiming that Benedetta Makanda Kauma had died.
In the third count, Odero pleaded guilty to receiving 250,000 KES as a last expense claim from the same insurance company on October 5, 2021, by falsely pretending that Benedetta Makanda Kauma had also passed on
In the final count, Odero attempted to receive Sh 500,000 as a last expense from UAP on October 5, 2021, by falsely claiming that Serephine Anyango Juma had died on August 30, 2021.
The prosecution, led by Mohamed Yassir, requested more time to conclude the investigation against Odero.
The matter will be mentioned again on February 13.
Cases involving insurance fraud in Kenya are handled by the Insurance Fraud Investigation unit (IFIU).
It was established in November 2011.
IFIU is a specialized unit under the umbrella of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and is mandated to investigate insurance fraud and related offenses giving the IRA directions on prosecutable cases and enhancing capacity in moderating threats of Insurance Fraud within the Insurance sector.
It is also tasked with regulating, supervising, and developing the insurance industry in the country and protecting the interests of policyholders, insurance beneficiaries, and the general public.
