A university student who stole Sh1.1 million from the Ministry of Education’s account will be held for 10 days.

This is after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations detectives asked the court to grant them the days to complete investigations.

Giddion Kibet Langat, a student from Kericho, allegedly redirected Sh1,173,352 intended for the capitation of Menet Primary School in Bomet County to his personal account last week.

The fraudulent transfer occurred on January 22, 2025, when the funds meant to support the primary school’s educational program were diverted from the Ministry of Education’s allocation to Langat’s account held at the National Bank of Kenya’s Nandi Hills branch.

The incident was reported the following day, January 23, by the bank’s officials to the DCI’s Banking Fraud Investigations Unit (BFID) in Nairobi.

“The said amount was diverted from the Ministry of Education as capitation fees meant for Menet Primary School in Bomet County,” said Detective Constable Julie Rutto of BFID – Nairobi in an affidavit filed at the Milimani Law Courts.

Rutto explained that upon receiving the funds, Langat withdrew the money via mobile banking using his cellphone.

He then transferred portions of the money to other accounts through Pesalink, a money transfer service.

“As soon as the respondent (Langat) received the funds into his account, he withdrew the money through mobile banking on his cellphone and sent other sums via Pesalink to one of his accomplices at a different bank.”

The court heard that the investigations so far conducted revealed that the fraud was not an isolated act, but rather part of a well-organised scheme involving multiple parties.

While Langat is the primary suspect, the DCI believes other individuals facilitated the crime and may still be at large.

“Preliminary investigations suggest that this was a well-orchestrated fraud, and more parties are likely involved,” said Rutto adding, “The fraud was not a one-off incident but part of a broader scheme. The amount involved could potentially be larger than the Sh1.1 million currently identified, but a forensic audit will confirm the total figure.”

The DCI is currently investigating the case under charges of stealing contrary to Section 268 (1) as read with Section 275 of the Penal Code.

Langat was arrested in Kericho Town on January 25, 2025, following the trail of the fraudulent transactions.

The detective told the court that although Langat had been arrested, the masterminds of the fraud were still at large but a manhunt was launched to trace them.

On January 26, Langat appeared in court before Chief Magistrate Susan Shitumbi, where the prosecution sought a 10-day detention order for him to allow further investigation into the case.

The DCI said Langat’s detention was crucial to safeguarding the integrity of the probe, as there was a risk that the suspect might attempt to evade justice or influence key information regarding the identity of other accomplices.

According to the investigators, there were concerns that Langat could be influenced by the alleged masterminds of the crime to withhold crucial information.

“The alleged masterminds may facilitate (Langat) into escaping justice and revealing crucial information that could lead to their arrest,” stated the detective.

She said investigations are ongoing including recording witness statements and obtaining Mpesa statements.

 In opposing the application, the defence lawyer told the court that Kibett has a fixed place of abode where the police can always trace him and that he is a student at a local university in Kericho.

But in granting the detention request, Chief Magistrate Shitumbi said the theft of the Ministry of Education’s funds is a serious matter of public interest that should be sufficiently investigated for all culprits to be found.

The suspect will be held at Kileleshwa Police Station for 10 days to enable police to complete the probe.