Nairobi Mall Employee Charged With Stealing Sh296 Million Over Seven Years

A Nairobi shopping mall employee, Mohamed Osman Abdille, has been charged with stealing Sh296 million in a complex money laundering operation over seven years.

Abdille, an employee at Mega Shopping Mall in Eastleigh and director of Fatzam Enterprises Limited (FEL), faces 30 criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit a felony, theft by servant, money laundering, and possession of proceeds of crime. The funds, which belong to businessman Abdi Mohamed Ali, the mall’s owner, were allegedly stolen incrementally between January 2018 and September 2024. 

Abdille is accused of using his position to divert large sums of money into various accounts and businesses to conceal the illicit origins of the funds. Prosecutors' case is supported by detailed bank records showing how Abdille allegedly moved the stolen money through multiple accounts, foreign exchange transactions, and commercial payments designed to appear legitimate. Over Sh116 million was traced to accounts held by FEL at major Kenyan banks, including Absa Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), and Equity Bank. 

Abdille is also accused of holding over Sh107 million in various accounts, which investigators assert were proceeds of crime. A key element of the scheme involved converting large sums into foreign currency, disguised as payments for imports. In one instance, on August 20, 2024, Abdille is said to have arranged a payment of $8,300 (Sh1,070,700) to a supplier for what was claimed to be the purchase of spaghetti. 

Investigators argue the transaction was merely a cover for laundering stolen money. Similar payments were made in subsequent months, including several payments routed through FEL accounts on September 18, 2024, and November 4, 2024. Other local payments were made to companies such as Marray and Sons Venture Limited, Gigi International Limited, and Ada Food Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited. 

These transfers were part of Abdille's alleged strategy to obscure the origin of the stolen funds. Despite these efforts, authorities were able to trace the money to several accounts, including a key discovery on March 12, 2024, when Sh4,759,029 was found in an FEL account at KCB's Eastleigh branch.

Abdille has denied all charges and was granted bond in the amount of Sh3 million, or an alternative cash bail of Sh2 million. The magistrate ordered the prosecution to provide all witness statements in preparation for trial.