By E, KNA
A 76-year-old celebrated middle-distance athlete, Professor Mike Kipsugut Boit, today narrated in an Eldoret court how his trusted call driver allegedly defrauded him of over Sh1.4 million from his bank accounts.
Boit, a retired Professor of Exercise and Sports Science at Kenyatta University, told Chief Magistrate, Dennis Mikoyan, that his driver, Kevine Kipruto Lagat, secretly obtained his M-Pesa PIN and used it to unlawfully to access his bank accounts in Eldoret and Nandi Hills.
The court heard that the theft occurred between December 23, 2023, and January 27, 2025, while Boit was conducting money transactions both in Nairobi and his home county of Nandi.
“I came to learn about the theft when I went to check my balance at the KCB Eldoret branch. I could not imagine that my trusted driver could do that to me,” Boit said in court.
He said he reported the matter at Naiberi Police Station in Ainabkoi Sub- County and recorded a statement.
The retired professor told the court that he had engaged Lagat to drive him from Nandi Hills to Nairobi whenever needed, paying him Sh3,000 daily since he was not a permanent employee.
“I used to pay my call driver Sh3,000 per day for chauffeuring me to and from Nairobi, and yet he could steal from me. I think he took advantage of my advanced age and occasional memory lapses to defraud me,” Boit narrated to the packed courtroom.
In a shocking revelation, Boit said the driver allegedly used the mobile phone number of a person who died 15 years ago to transfer the stolen money.
According to court documents, Lagat, together with others not before the court, unlawfully accessed Boit’s KCB account and transferred Sh550,304 from his Eldoret account and Sh480,000 from his Nandi Hills account.
The accused, represented by lawyer Tecla Tum, denied the charges. The court adjourned the hearing to January 26, 2026, for further proceedings.