The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Nairobi yesterday heard damning testimony from two key witnesses linking former Oki director, Honey Khatwani, to a multi-million-shilling fraud scheme.
Khatwani is facing charges of defrauding the company of more than Sh356 million during his tenure as director.
The prosecution alleges that the funds were siphoned through fake invoices, black-market dealings, and later funneled into new companies he established.
Testifying before Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego, Oki employee Jatin Aswani said he uncovered irregularities in the company’s sales that pointed to massive financial mismanagement.
“I discovered irregularities in company sales which clearly showed that money was being mismanaged,” Aswani told the court.
He further claimed that his life was endangered after Khatwani allegedly issued death threats to silence him.
“He threatened to kill me and even took away my passport. I pleaded with him to return it, but he ignored me. I had to seek help from the police, but nothing was done,” Aswani testified.
Supporting his account, former sales executive and accountant Karan Badlani told the court that between 2020 and 2024, Khatwani subjected employees to a campaign of fear.
“He constantly intimidated staff, confiscated passports, and forced us to apply for work permits. The threats became unbearable, and I was eventually forced to leave the company,” Badlani said
Both witnesses alleged that part of the money siphoned from Oki was squandered on gambling activities, crippling the company’s operations.
They further claimed that after leaving Oki, Khatwani established another company, Galaxy, where he allegedly transferred funds, and later set up a pseudo firm used to channel more money.
The prosecution argued that the testimonies present a consistent picture of a director who abused his office for personal enrichment while intimidating employees into silence.
Magistrate Alego directed that the hearing continues today, with more witnesses expected to testify in support of the prosecution’s case.
