Medic in court over attempt to defraud insurance company Sh1.9 million
Kennedy Ochieng Ogendo when he appeared before the Principal Magistrate Court in Kisumu on October 13, 2023. Ogendo is accused of forging claim documents seeking compensation from Jubilee Insurance Company amounting to Sh1.9 million.
What you need to know:
- The accused claimed that he had been admitted and treated at Nyabondo Centre for Persons with Disabilities Hospital in 2021 for the purpose of processing a claim.
- Mr Ochieng, who appeared in court on Friday, is charged with making false documents contrary to section 347 (a) read with section 349 of the Penal Code.
A 40-year-old medical officer has been arraigned in a Kisumu court for attempting to obtain money by false pretences.
Kennedy Ochieng Ogendo allegedly prepared a medical document claiming to have been admitted and treated at one of the health facilities in Kisumu County in an attempt to obtain Sh1.9 million compensation from an insurance company.
The accused claimed that he had been admitted and treated at Nyabondo Centre for Persons with Disabilities Hospital in 2021 for the purpose of processing a claim.
Mr Ochieng, who appeared at the Kisumu Magistrate's Court on Friday afternoon to enter a plea, is charged with making false documents contrary to section 347 (a) read with section 349 of the Penal Code.
"On or before January 12, at an unknown place within the republic of Kenya with others not in court, you made a discharge summary for claim processing in respect to Policy Number P/101/5018/2020 /000087 held by Kennedy Ochieng Ogendo at Jubilee Insurance Company Limited, a fact you knew to be false,” read the charge sheet.
However, Mr Ochieng, who appeared before Principal Magistrate Fatima Rashid, denied the charges and sought favourable bail conditions through his lawyer, Mr Steven Aoko.
Mr Aoko asked the court to grant his client bail in cash not exceeding Sh50,000, arguing that Ochieng was disabled and also the sole breadwinner of his young family.
However, his application was opposed by the State due to the nature of the offence and a bail of Sh500,000 was imposed instead.
Principal Magistrate Rashid also ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody for the next week before the mention date.
Mr Ochieng, who used to run a clinic at Rabuor trading centre in Kisumu, was tracked down and arrested by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on October 12.
According to the officers, Ochieng, who has a personal accident insurance policy with Jubilee Insurance Company Limited, had presented the forged documents to the insurer to claim compensation of Sh1.9 million.
The accused had claimed to have been attacked by unknown assailants along Sondu-Nyabondo road in Kisumu County and had his right arm chopped off in January 2021.
According to the accused, the incident occurred on the 5th of January 2021, two months after the commencement of the said insurance cover.
However, the preliminary investigations conducted by the DCI had revealed that all the medical documents, including the hospital discharge letter, treatment notes, medical receipts and the police P3 form attached in support of the claim, were fraudulent.
Investigations had also revealed that the accused was assaulted in Chemelil, Kisumu County in May 2020 and not 2021.
"The case will be mentioned for further directions on October 21," the magistrate ruled.
