Power broker, retiree, Sh63m legal thriller in the names of Farouk, Koskei, Murkomen, Sudi

George Musembi Muia, a former Kenya Revenue Authority’s senior manager, hoped to have a quiet life after retirement, and perhaps clinching a lucrative parastatal chair job.

His story before the High Court in Nairobi would sell for a thriller novel or movie, with Paycheck, a 2023 movie, getting close to his current predicament.

Nevertheless, he is now before the corridors of justice, fighting to recover millions from a man he paints as a power broker within the Kenya Kwanza administration.

His trust that one Cosmas Mutati Nzoka would deliver his end of the bargain could have perhaps been the most expensive thing to do.

According to his court case, Musembi not only lost Sh63 million to Mutati, but he also had to crisscross the corridors of justice, in the hope that judges and magistrates would at least tilt the scales in his favour.

He claimed that the Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen; President William Ruto’s personal assistant, Farouk Kibet; and the Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, had their names dangled to him, that he allegedly opened his purse to Mutati.

Mutati and Musembi’s story started around December 2023. He told the court that he retired from KRA in 2022, but before that, he had come to know a person called David Muema, who was a clearing agent at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

It is Muema, he said, who introduced him to Mutati, whom he allegedly described as a well-connected businessman in government big offices.

According to him, Muema further said that Mutati would be able to assist him to secure a position of board chairman in one of the parastatals within the Ministry of Transport and Roads.

He claimed that they met for the first time at the Mark Hotel, Thika Road, around December 2023, at 7 pm.

“ During the meeting, David Muema introduced the defendant to me as a well-connected businessman who claimed he knew people like CS Transport, then Hon Onesmus Mukomen, Mr Farouk Kibet, personal assistant to His Excellency, President William Ruto, Hon Felix Koskei, the Head of Public.

According to Muema, his link was able to reach Koskei through Murkomen.

At the same time, he said that Mutati also confidently dropped Kapreseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi’s name during the discussion.

“When the defendant dropped those big names I felt like I was dealing with the right team to assist me secure the appointment of a board chair of Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) since the defendant kept promising me it was easy as long as I was ready to comply with their demands,” he said, adding that the position was vacant at the time.

Musembi claimed that after the first meeting, he became Mutati’s cash cow, footing all the bills every time they met to discuss the progress of the alleged appointment and on December 21, 2023, he allegedly milked him for the assignment ahead.

He told the court that Mutati requested Sh3 million, which was allegedly meant to be handed to Koskei to facilitate the appointment.

Musembi said he allegedly mobilised the money in dollars, of 100 denominations, which were 191 in total, then delivered them in a brown envelope to Mutati at Shell BP House, at Muthaiga Square, at around 1 pm.

“I found the defendant impatiently waiting alone in a car registration KDN 911M, Mercedes-Benz grey in colour. The defendant took the money in the form of dollars and promised me that he was to deliver the money to Hon Felix Koskei the same day,” he stated, adding that the following day, on December 23, 2023, Mutati passed a response that he had done what they had promised.

Nevertheless, according to Musembi, Mutati allegedly informed him that Koskei does not work alone to deliver the goodies. He said that Mutati allegedly told him that he works with Murkomen Sudi and Farouk and who all allegedly wanted some Sh5 million.

“Because I had legitimate expectations to become the board chair of KURA, I did not want to delay because the defendant was pushing me so much to give out the money so that I would not miss the chance. I mobilised the money as soon as the defendant wanted and handed it over the money to the defendant in cash,” claimed Musembi.

Then, another story came up. Musembi narrated that Mutati then allegedly told him he was chasing a Sh3 billion contract with the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) for road construction. For this, he said, the man allegedly asked for another Sh3 million for facilitation, with a promise that he would refund.

He then allegedly gave him Sh3.35 million, then Sh4.2 million, then Sh3.1 million, then Sh5 million, then Sh355,000.

 This, according to Musembi, happened in 2024.

 Musembi further claimed that his link then told him about some Sh 1.8 billion he was expecting from a Chinese company, China Wu Yi Construction Company, which allegedly had been credited but could not transact since the money had been wired to his personal account instead of his Woodroff Enterprises.

He said that Mutati allegedly asked for money to sort out the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations(DCI), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).

He said he paid Sh1.99 million for this, then wired some more Sh1.7 million, then another Sh1.4 million, then Sh1.16 million, then another Sh1.7 million, then Sh2.3 million. From his testimony in court, he even withdrew Sh1.8 million from his business, Therapies for Kids Limited, to advance to Mutati when his accounts ran dry.

Musembi said he then introduced him to one Simon Kihara Ngamau. With a conviction that Mutati would secure him the job, he pleaded with Kihara to continue lending him the money.

From Kihara, Musembi claimed that Mutati got Sh1.05 million in April 2024, Sh4.3 million in May 2024, Sh1.2 million in June 2024, wired into his accounts, and was handed Sh5.1 million cash.

He said that the cash minting venture allegedly continued until September the same year, when Mutati allegedly issued three banking cheques which bounced.

Then, according to him, the link went mute and stopped receiving his calls.

The court heard that it took the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to allegedly trace him, and he was subsequently charged at Kibera Law Courts.

Musembi said that Mutati denied the allegations, claiming that he was a stranger to them and instead, allegedly turned the tables, it was Musembi who borrowed Sh47 million. He sent a counter-demand to Musembi’s lawyers that he should be paid in full.

According to Musembi, Mutati’s lawyers provided alleged loan agreements between them, which were allegedly done in the presence of MCM Advocates on January 15, 2024.

“On November 11, 2025, I respondent to the reply to counter demand by writing to the defendant advocate through the law firm of Musyoki Muasya and Company Advocates and requested the defendant to provide me with copies of the two loan agreements for scrutiny, and verification because I was surprised that the defendant had conned me money and now he purports that it was me who owe him money but not the other way round,” he added.

In response, he said, Mutati allegedly provided a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) report, which allegedly showed that Musembi was the author.

He asserted that he never signed anything as such, adding that a forensic analysis by Smart Eye Technologies and Consultancies gave a different verdict.

Musembi wants the money back.