Tag: Central Highland Tea Company Limited

A Milimani Magistrate court in Nairobi has postponed the judgement of a forgery case against Central Highland Tea Company Limited Kirubi Kamau to March 7, 2025 when he will know his fate.

In the case, Kirubi is accused of forging a signature of a deceased lawyer, Robert Mburu Mbugua who died eleven years ago in a bid to edge other directors from office in leadership row pitting Central Highland Tea Company Limited.

While making the ruling yesterday, Milimani Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo said the judgement was not ready.

“The judgement will be adjourned since it is not ready. I am sorry for that inconvenience.”

Kirubu was charged with forging a stamp and signature of Mbugua who had died 11 years ago to file returns at the state law office in a bid to edge four directors of the enterprise from office.

The court found that Kirubi has a case to answer in the charges of forging a stamp impression and signature of the late lawyer to deceive that four directors of Central Highland Tea Company Limited had resigned from leadership.

He was also accused of forging affidavits of resignations of Meshack Kibunja Kaburi, Daniel Wanjie Waruingi, James Njukia Ihura and David Macharia Gichure from the leadership of Central Highland Tea Company Limited.

Kirubi allegedly presented the four affidavits at the registrar of companies in June 27, 2019 purporting that they had been signed by the late Mbugua who had died in December 2008.

The magistrate had heard the deceased lawyer whose chambers were at Uganda House, Nairobi was buried on December 18, 2008 at Ndenderu in Kiambu county.

He has denied 20 counts of forgery and uttering of forged documents.

On July 11, 2024, the magistrate had found the accused with a case to answer and directed him to be put on his defence.

“After examining the evidence presented by the prosecution l find that there is humble evidence to warrant this court place the accused on his defence,” the magistrate had ruled.

The court allowed him to call witnesses in his bid to exonerate himself from the allegations if he so wishes.

During the trial of the matter, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Officer Schola Mwaura attached to Central Police Station Nairobi who investigated the case told the magistrate in her testimony that the accused appended his signature and indicated his cellphone number on the returns he lodged at the company registry at the State Law Office.

Mwaura presented a death certificate of the deceased lawyer and the obituary published by the Daily Nation in her evidence in the case as proof that the advocate had passed on.;

The crime buster said she delved deep into the investigations and sought relevant information from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) to establish whether Mbugua had appointed any advocate to take over its operations in the event of his absence.

Report from LSK confirmed that the deceased lawyer had not appointed any lawyer to act on his behalf when he was absent.

PC Mwaura the 14th prosecution witness in the forgery case testified that she established that signatures appended on the four affidavits of the directors were forgeries also.

Mbugua and the four complainants were all directors at the Murang’a county based tea company.

The court will deliver its judgement on March 7, 2025.

Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo has ruled that a director of a tea company, Kirubi Kamau, has a case to answer regarding charges of forgery.

Kamau is accused of forging the stamp and signature of a lawyer who passed away 11 years earlier to file returns at the State Law Office and remove four fellow directors from the company.

“After reviewing the evidence presented by the prosecution, I find sufficient grounds to require the accused to defend himself.” The Magistrate stated.

The court has scheduled Kamau’s defence for October 3, 2024.

He has opted to give a sworn defence and will call one witness.

The case centres on allegations that Kamau forged the signature and stamp of the late lawyer Mburu Mbugua on documents used to falsely claim that four directors of Central Highland Tea Company Limited had resigned.

These directors—Meshack Kibunja Kaburi, Daniel Wanjie Waruingi, James Njukia Ihura, and David Macharia Gichure—were allegedly removed from the company’s leadership based on forged affidavits submitted by Kamau in June 2019.

Evidence presented in court includes testimony from the Registrar of Companies, who discovered the forged signature and stamps on the documents.

Additionally, DCI officer Schola Mwaura, who investigated the case, confirmed that Kamau had signed the returns and provided his cellphone number.

Mwaura also presented the death certificate and obituary of the late Mburu Mbugua, confirming that the lawyer had died in December 2008.

A report from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) indicated that Mbugua had not appointed any successor to act on his behalf.

Mwaura’s testimony, backed by a forensic document examiner, further revealed that the signatures on the four directors’ affidavits were forged.

The directors themselves testified that they were shocked to learn of their alleged resignations, as they had not stepped down from the company.

Kamau faces 20 counts of forgery and uttering forged documents, which he denies, accusing the police of malicious prosecution. Mwaura refuted this, asserting that the case was pursued in the interest of justice.

The charges state that Kamau, along with others not before the court, forged the stamp and signature used in the affidavits, which purportedly showed the directors had resigned.

He is also accused of submitting the forged documents to the Registrar of Companies in June 2019.

Kamau, who is currently out on bond, continues to deny all charges.