Samuel Ngungi Hlutwa, the grandson of Lesotho’s Minister for Law and Justice, is now a free man. Kenyan police have released him and reclassified him as a witness in a mobile money fraud case—instead of charging him as a suspect.
Initially, authorities suspected Hlutwa had colluded with a 30-year-old woman who allegedly orchestrated the fraud. That suspicion led to his arrest and a court-approved seven-day detention at Athi River Police Station. But after reviewing new evidence, detectives concluded he was not a main suspect. Instead, they now see him as a person of interest whose testimony could help locate the woman, who remains at large.
The case began on January 17, when a woman reported that Sh60,000 vanished from her mobile wallet. She said she received a call from an unknown number—and moments later, her money disappeared. Investigators traced the SIM card used in the scam to the 30-year-old woman, believed to be Hlutwa’s girlfriend.
They then tracked the phone’s IMEI number and found the device had changed hands. At the time of the fraud, it was in Hlutwa’s possession. That link prompted his arrest, as police tried to determine his role.
Hlutwa, 22, holds dual citizenship. His father is Kenyan but lives in Lesotho, where he married a Mosotho woman. Born in Lesotho, Hlutwa came to Kenya in 2022 to study aviation. When police arrested him, he did not present any identification. So officers booked him simply as “Samuel Ngungi,” a Kenyan national.
For days, confusion surrounded his whereabouts. Even the Diplomatic Police Unit said it had no record of a missing foreigner. Clarity came only after journalists contacted Athi River Sub-County Police Commander David Kandie. He confirmed Hlutwa’s arrest and explained the booking error.
Now that he is free, investigators have shifted focus entirely to tracking down the alleged mastermind. Her arrest will shape the next phase of the case. Until then, Hlutwa will remain a key witness—not a defendant—in this unfolding mobile money fraud investigation.
READ: Daughter Accused of Forging Father’s Will in Nairobi Inheritance Dispute
