Businessman Rajendra Shanghani has told a Nairobi court how he secretly recorded city debt collector Samuel Brian Yongo Otumba allegedly threatening to kill him.
Testifying before Magistrate Peter Mutai, Rajendra said Yongo warned him that not even former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko could protect him.
“I recorded Yongo using my iPhone 16 and saved the clip on Facebook Messenger. He called and told me not to leave my compound because he was coming for me,” Rajendra testified.
The court heard and viewed videos of the alleged threats, which were produced as evidence. Yongo, who is representing himself, admitted to having a contractual arrangement with Rajendra to recover debts but demanded that the complainant explain the circumstances that led to the fallout.
During cross-examination, Rajendra recounted the events of April 12, 2024, when he claims he was assaulted. He told the court that while the conversation with Yongo initially began smoothly, it soon turned hostile. He further alleged that Yongo had once borrowed money from him and failed to repay.
“My life was in danger because of the threats. He even threatened to shoot me,” Rajendra said.
Yongo faces charges of threatening to kill and cyber harassment.
In the first count, he is accused of using abusive language and issuing death threats to Rajendra in Parklands, Westlands Sub-County, on April 12, 2024.
In the second count, he is charged under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act for sending threatening WhatsApp messages to Rajendra, which prosecutors argued were intended to cause fear and apprehension of violence.
The accused was released on a Ksh 200,000 bond with one surety, or alternatively, a Ksh 100,000 cash bail.
Yongo has been linked to Neptune Credit Management Limited, a firm specializing in debt recovery on behalf of creditors.
