Kenya Insights

Tag: Christine Lewis

  • Westwick College Director Christine Lewis Released On Bail

    Westwick College Director Christine Lewis Released On Bail

    Westwick College Director Christine Lewis Nyambura Muturi alias Christine alleged to have scammed her students over Sh1.9 million in a nursing abroad job scam has been released on Sh300,000.

    Ms. Christine had been arraigned before Kiambu Law Court last week on Thursday and ordered to be detained till Monday for her bail hearing.

    However, Senior Principal Magistrate Meresia Opondo allowed her counsel’s request to have her spend the days in Nairobi Hospital after complaining of being sick.

    School denial

    Westwick’s management desperately attempted to hide the arrest, sponsoring media spaces to refute news of arrest.

    “It has come to our attention that there are negative rumors circulating on social media regarding our institution and our Director, Mrs. Christine Muturi. These rumors allege that Mrs. Muturi was involved in fraudulent activities amounting to 1.9 Million and was subsequently arrested. We wish to clarify that these claims are entirely false. Mrs. Christine Muturi was not arrested; rather, she was admitted to Nairobi Hospital and underwent surgery. We are pleased to report that she is currently recuperating well.” The management said in a statement to the press.

    In a coverup of the grace allegations of fraud against the director, Westwick tried to absolve themselves by blaming illusory competitors for their intrigues.

    “Since January, our institution has been subjected to unwarranted negative media attention, which we believe to be orchestrated by our business competitors with the intention of tarnishing our reputation and undermining our institution’s standing.”

    Charges

    Ms. Christine has been accused of obtaining Sh1,959,000 from seven individuals by inducing them to pay as college fees for a certified nursing assistant course at Westwick Institute Limited.

    “On diverse dates between January 20, 2023, and February 27, 2024, in Gigiri area within Nairobi County, jointly with others not before court being the director of Westwick Institute Limited, offered training in Certified Nurse Assistant without accreditation, licensing and registration by Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority,” read part of the charge sheet.

    On one account she’s been accused by a student who fell victim to alleged gimmicks, “between 24th March 2023 and 30th April 2023 in Gigiri area within Nairobi County jointly with others not before court by means fraudulent tricks induced Gina Nuta to pay a sum of Sh250,000 to account domiciled at Kenya Commercial Bank pretending that you were in a position to train and issue her with a certificate in Certified Nurse Assistance from Westwick Institute Limited which is not accredited by Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority,” it reads in part.

    In a different account, she’s been accused of obtaining Sh428,500 from Sally Wanjiru between January 20, 2023, and July 28, 2023, by inducing her that she could be trained and issued with a certificate in certified nursing assistant course from Westwick Institute Limited that is not accredited by TVET.

    Police told the court that they’ve been bombarded with complaints against the UN Avenue based institution with many claiming they were shortchanged and defrauded.

    The duped learners told the police that they were lured into joining the institution by the enticing adverts on social media and note so the promise of securing jobs abroad something that the complainants didn’t see.

    In an advert seen by Kenya Insights, the college claim to have the right connections to secure employment opportunities abroad for its graduates and even pay for their accommodations while in the foreign land a matter that leaves a lot of questions.

    Investigations by the DCI have however revealed that the institution is not fully registered and not credited with relevant bodies like Technical and Vocational Educational and Training Authority (TVET) to offer such courses.

    Ms. Christine has been given an alternative of Sh500,000 bond and restrained from leaving the country as the case is ongoing.

    She has been ordered to deposit her passport with the court.

    The matter will be mentioned on July 2, 2024.

  • “Go Ahead And Sue” Edgar Obare Stands By His Accusations Against Christine Lewis And Yvonne Mugure

    “Go Ahead And Sue” Edgar Obare Stands By His Accusations Against Christine Lewis And Yvonne Mugure

    A legal battle looms as blogger Edgar Obare take a stand and dares Christine Nyambura Muturi alias Christine Lewis and Yvonne Mugure to go ahead with their threats of suing him over a series of tweets that they say are defamatory.

    On January 27, Obare accused the two of being fraudsters, “Meet Yvonne Mugure’s “Billionaire” mentor Christine Lewis, who is a convicted investor fraudster, who relocated to Kenya. She has been sanitizing her image ever since and opening businesses in Kenya #christinelewis #yvonnemugure #WestwickCollege” Obare wrote on his X account.

    Obare also in his posts, accused Westwick College in Gigiri that is owned and run by Ms Christine of taking advantage of learners’ desperation for overseas jobs to fleece them.

    In his posts that are still live, Obare made claims that the college wasn’t being transparent and that a number of students had lodged complaints with him to a certain alleged dishonesty the claims ranged from the college not meeting the end of the bargain of securing them nursing opportunities abroad, irregular fee increases, that the college is not yet fully accredited by the authorities but still taking students.

    In rebuttal, the College management rubbished off the claims falsehood, “The institution has an open-door policy and a transparent dispute resolution plans for both students and staff and its channels for hearing and resolving any grievances within their jurisdiction are open and fully functional,” the college leadership said in a statement.

    Westwick maintains that they’re a legitimate institution and that it has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with outside parties to allow facilitation, at request by its students to benefit from its network of employers locally and abroad. “As much as we wish we could, we unfortunately aren’t able to control or determine the outcomes of travel and immigration processes. We therefore regret any travel delays if any,” the statement read in part.

    The institution reiterated that it is legally registered in Kenya and in the UK. The process of accreditation requires an institution to be fully operational prior to any approvals or inspection.

    However, locally, the college is yet to be fully accredited by getting the Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions (TVETs) certification which they say is in the process.

    Delete or face suit

    In a demand letter by her lawyer, Ms Christine refuted claims that she had been found guilty of a fraud offense in the U.S. and that she relocated back to Kenya to cleanse her image. Her lawyer said the statements were false and that she’s never been found guilty of either of the offenses.

    Obare was given an ultimatum of 24 hours to pull down the posts or face a lawsuit and of which he defied.

    In reply to the demands, Obade’s lawyers maintained the innocence of their client and their intention to defend himself, “Your letter alleges that our Client, through his X social media account @edgarobare, made false statements on January 26, 2024, accusing Ms. Christina Lewis of being a convicted investor fraudster who relocated to Kenya. However, it is our position that the information shared is based on factual events, specifically the default order Publicly issued by the Arizona Corporate Commission against Ms. Lewis, mandating restitution and imposing administrative penalties for investor fraud whose particulars are well within your knowledge. Please note that truth is an absolute defense in defamation.”

    Obare’s lawyers also insist that he didn’t damage Ms Christine’s reputation, “While we understand the concerns raised about the potential harm to Ms. Lewis’s reputation, it is imperative to note that our client’s statements are grounded in documented and verifiable events. The accusations do not pertain to baseless claims but rather to actions undertaken by the Arizona Corporate Commission against Ms. Lewis and the complaints made as a result of Financial Fraud. A person claiming reputational damage must prove the damage itself; Your client already has too many complaints have been raised against her and on top of that there is a published finding entered against her by the authority in the USA..” The letter reads in part.

    On the accusation that Obare didn’t accord Ms Christine and the college a right of reply in the light of the allegations, the lawyers said, “Your letter highlights that our client did not afford Ms. Lewis the right of reply or engage in due diligence before making the statements. However, it is essential to emphasize that the information shared is a matter of public record, and our client acted responsibly by bringing these facts/ findings to the attention of the public. Your client has never appealed against the decision of the regulatory commission and so the finding still stands. A judgment/finding is not one to be necessarily ventilated via right of reply as your client had a chance to file a response in the commission proceedings.”

    The demand for an apology was also refused by Obare, “We respectfully decline the demands outlined in your letter, as we firmly believe that our client’s statements are based on truth and constitute fair comment. Our commitment to responsible journalism requires us to report accurately on matters of public interest.”

    “In light of the above, our Client stands firm in their position and is not threatened by your Demand letter. We assert the right to freedom of expression and the responsible exercise of fair comment. If legal action is pursued, our client is prepared to defend their position based on the truthful nature of the statements made.” Letter reads.

    Meanwhile, a gag court order has been issued and the case will be heard again on February 19, 2024, but until then the city blogger has been ordered to desist from making further allegations about Mugure, Christine, and their Westwick College.