Money Laundering, Love Triangles, Murders at the Epitome of the Fall of ABSA Bank

After we published several stories of leaked information at ABSA bank in Mombasa and Nyali in connection with business mogul David Abai, we have now established that a 39 year old woman Pheny Kisasati who was detained over the death of his slain lover was sacked from work at ABSA bank Nkurumah road branch.

She was sacked for leaking similar information belonging to businessman Barasa Zachary’s estranged wife. 

A homicide detective privy to ongoing investigations said that Zachariah might be connected to the death of Osca Owino who has been Phenny’s lover for over two years. 

“It is still very early to conclude or ascertain the cause of his death. We are still gathering information including mobile surveillance with our cybercrime counterparts,” he said.

Zachary who has been accused of grabbing several plots in Mombasa vied for Bungoma gubernatorial seat in 2022.

Zachary has been accused of several offenses including forcibly and illegally evicting the family of Niraj Shah and his wife Avan Shah from their Westlands home valued at about KSh 80 million.

The postmortem is being conducted today at Pandya hospital.

Nyali sub-county police commander Daniel Masamba on Wednesday said Pheny Kisasati is in police custody.

She will be in custody until investigations into circumstances under which his boyfriend Osca Owino died after a night of merry-making.

“Investigations are ongoing and the suspect is in our custody awaiting the completion of investigations,” he said.

The bank is yet to say anything about the death of Oscar in what appears to be a strategy to save face his from the public.

The lady told police that the two had attended a party at Masai Beach Hotel where they took drinks and partied until late hours.

The report, booked under OB number 02/ 14/08/23 at Nyali police station, further indicates that the suspect excused herself and went to bed leaving the deceased on the balcony where he continued to drink alcohol.

“He took too long to come back and this prompted her to go check on him. However, she did not find him and decided to carry out a search in other rooms within the house in vain. Later she went downstairs and found the boyfriend lying dead,” read the police statement.

According to police, she raised the alarm where guards drawn from the Texas Alarm and neighbors responded.

“Necessary actions were taken, scene processed and the body removed to Pandaya Memorial mortuary awaiting to undergo post mortem exercise,” added the police report.

The death of Oscar apparently happened at the Royal apartments in Nyali which is fully catered for by Zachary.

It has been established that Zachariah is paying school fees for Pheny’s children in one of the leading High Schools in Nanyuki.

 Phenny resigned from Absa bank Nkrumah road after Zachariah’s wife complained of leaking the information. Zachariah later made full payment for Phenny’s rent at the spacious Royal apartments.

He furnished the house and paid a house rent of 1m in a mighty show of love.

Phenny is also a close ally to another employee by the name Wycliff Makori who works at Absa Nkrumah branch who has also been under investigations over data breach allegations.

Mr.Makori is also linked to another case where a client was swindled Sh5m in a well-orchestrated plan that was allegedly overseen by regional manager Doufold Odanga and Mwangi Macharia. 

Cases of sex scandals and illegal dealings have been rampant at the bank which is struggling to save its image over money laundering and sharing of client data to third parties.

Our investigations have revealed that Phenny and Owino have previously worked together at Absa Digo branch before the man was posted to Moi Avenue Branch and the lady to Nkurumah branch.

They have been lovers for two years and are known for living lavishly with alcohol and sexy orgies always on the menu.

All this time, Phenny knew how to juggle the ball between Zacharia and Oscar in what is one of the most secretive love triangles aimed at swindling money from unsuspecting clients.

They are allegedly part of the bigger network that has been put on the spot for money laundering deals and sharing of client information to third parties.

Those who don’t toe the line as per our investigations are often put under the bus or threatened to walk away ‘in peace.

In July, a number of disgruntled and worried customers banking with the bank secretly petitioned the Central Bank of Kenya to make serious investigations on the bank which they claimed is still engaged in customer manipulation tricks and sharing of third party information.

The bank which is still embroiled in a compensation battle with transport firm New Mega Africa Ltd has been on the spot for breaching the banking regulations with some of the staff being accused of extortion and money laundering con games.

The Central Bank which is the regulator of all banks and financial institutions in the country could now be forced to intervene with some of the customers who have lost faith in investigative agencies claiming their funds are in ‘suspect hands’.

A source privy to ongoing investigations said that most of the Absa Nyali and Mombasa branches receive huge money through M-PESA and bank account transactions.

“It is worse, it is their daily routine. The statement we have from various clients will shock many.” She said 

With the bank dealing mostly with multinationals and international firms, some of the clients have claimed that they have been blackmailed into deals they don’t agree with like sex for officers, lunch dates and late night dinners for any deal transaction to happen.

An undercover investigation has seen us unmask proceedings of some of the dirty dealings through night meetings for extortion.

The staff, as per our recordings and messages, uses the information they have on some of the biggest depositors like a source of money where they threaten and blackmail for a handsome settlement in the form of a bribe.

It is understood that special detectives have already made secret headways and have, according to our sources, gathered crucial information that links some of the Absa staff to fraud.

Detectives have been following up on happenings at the bank since November 2022 when New Mega Africa Ltd sued Absa over alleged disclosure of confidential information and data to third parties.

The Absa Nyali branch was the one specifically mentioned.

The company demanded Sh1.5 billion as compensation over the same and the case is still alive.

In the suit the company, which transports clinkers from Kenya to Tororo Uganda for the manufacture and processing of cement and other related products, accused the lender of financial sabotage and disclosing its financial statements to strangers without consent. 

On December 14th, 2022, Abai wrote to the Coast Regional Criminal Investigation officer over threats to his life and witness interference.

In the letter, he gave an account of how the firm got involved with Absa in 2022 and how things fell apart in 2021 when they suspected interference with their account.

According to further explanations in the letter, it is after serving the pleadings on the bank when witness interference started.

“Immediately upon serving the pleadings on the bank on or about 5thOctober, 2022, one of the bank’s officers adversely mentioned in the case called one of the company’s witnesses with a view of inducing him to recant his evidence against the bank,” it reads in part.

According to Abai’s letter, it is after this that the company through its lawyers wrote to the bank and the two parties agreed to end the matter and only focus on the court case.