A cab driver, Vincent Nzola Mutuku, who operates within the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has pleaded guilty to obtaining COVID-19 certificates for tourists illegally.
Mutuku has been sentenced to three months in jail or to alternatively pay a fine of Ksh. 10,000
Court documents read, “On the 3rd day of April 2021, at Amref Medical centre, Wilson Airport within Nairobi County, jointly with others not before court, conspired to commit a misdemeanor namely personation in order to obtain COVID-19 certificates for five Belarusian nationals namely (1) Maria Kapelevich; (2) Alexander Kapelevich (3) Volha Mukha (4) Lidziya Smirnova and (5) Pavel Germanovich.”
Reportedly, the tourists' travel agent contacted Mutuku so that the tourists could get the COVID-19 certificates.
The court was told, “The agent organised for a test at Lancet Kenya where the five were tested and issued with the certificates to enable them travel. The accused however went back to Amref to have the money refunded and further informed the personnel at Amref to cancel…”
Since he did not get the refund, Mutuku decided to get other people to be tested using the tourists’ forms.
Therefore, he got five other people and took them to Amref for testing but the Amref staff noticed something was amiss as the people who presented themselves appeared to be of African descent.
Mutuku was however left alone to answer for his crime as the five people disappeared.
“The five persons of African descent were taken in an honest attempt to utilise the funds which he had paid from his own pocket on the account of the five tourists when he knew that Amref would not refund him the cash,” the defense team told the court.
His lawyer added that Mutuku is a church goer and a first time offender.
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