Kenyan Socialite Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Stealing a Dead Tycoon’s Luxury Car

Socialite and musician Sheila Wairimu, alias Shay Diva Africa, has been sentenced to four years in prison after she was found guilty of stealing a luxury car belonging to departed tycoon PJ Dodhia Kumar.

Kitale Chief Magistrate Julius N'garng'ar also gave Wairimu an alternative of a Sh200,000 fine and ordered her to return the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 series back to the family of Kumar.

“I have considered the mitigation I will take into account that the accused is a first offender. I have also considered the circumstances under which the offence was committed and the plea in mitigation by the council of the accused,” N'garng'ar ruled.

While convicting Wairimu, the magistrate said the accused transferred the vehicle at a very questionable time, only a few days after the businessman’s death. 

Chirag Bhatt, one of the witnesses who testified in the case, said Wairimu consistently blackmailed the deceased that she would disclose their illicit relationship to his wife, who lives in the UK.  Bhatt, a manager of a hardware shop that was owned by Kumar, said that is how she remained with the vehicle until the 61-year-old man’s death on April 22nd, 2021.

Wairimu, 31, was accused of illegally accessing Kumar’s NTSA account and transferring ownership of the vehicle to herself without following due processes of succession. 

She was arrested after the family of the deceased filed a complaint with the police, saying Kumar only gave the car to her on a “use and return basis” since they were in a relationship.

Records from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) show a transfer of the car’s logbook was done by a person who logged into Kumar’s TIMs account at 11.45 pm on April 26th, four days after his death. The authorization of transfer was granted at 2:00 pm the following day but there were no supporting documents from the owner.

Detectives tracked Wairimu to Kitengela and towed the vehicle registration number KCK 466N to Buruburu police station and later to Kitale where she was arrested while trying to reclaim it.

In defense, Wairimu claimed the car was transferred to her without her knowledge and that she learned about it when she logged into her NTSA account.