A Nairobi businessman has told a court that a night of fun with a woman he met for the first time at a Lavington club ended with confusion, dizziness, and the loss of Sh 335,000 allegedly stolen from his bank account.
Testifying before the court, James Mwangi Kiaritha, 34, said he met the accused, Lora Odero, during a night of entertainment that began at Kettle House in Lavington and later moved to Ibiza Lounge at Lavington Mall. The two, together with another woman, partied until dawn before going for coffee at Artcaffe.
Kiaritha said he later offered to drop Odero at her residence at Winchester Gardens Apartments in Riverside, where she invited him inside. Moments later, he claimed, his memory went “blurred.”
“I can’t recall what happened afterwards. When I woke up, I was fully dressed and my phone was beside me,” he told the court, adding that the accused later asked him to drop her at a chemist before they parted ways.
It was only later that morning, while attempting to make a mobile payment, that Kiaritha realised his account had insufficient funds. On contacting his bank, he was informed that several transactions had been made from his mobile banking account to a number registered under the accused.
According to the charge sheet, Odero allegedly transferred the money on March 15, 2025, at 9:51 a.m., 9:52 a.m., and 11:30 a.m.
When shown the M-Pesa statement in court, Kiaritha said he could not recall authorising any of the transactions. “I can’t explain any transactions to Lora because I don’t send money to people,” he said.
He told the court that he later sought treatment at Kikuyu Afya Hospital, where he reported feeling dizzy and confused but did not obtain a medical report.
During cross-examination, the defence suggested that Kiaritha had invited the accused for company and declined intimacy, a claim he denied. The witness also said that after the incident, he searched the accused’s name online and found she had been previously mentioned in other legal cases, which made him avoid any private settlement.
Odero has denied the theft charge and is out on bail as the case continues.
