Kiambu Family Seeks Government Help for Son Jailed in UAE Over Fraud Charges

A family in Kiambu County is calling on the Kenyan government to intervene diplomatically in the case of their son, James Kariuki Thiongo, who remains in detention in the United Arab Emirates following a series of fraud-related convictions.

Mr Kariuki, 40, first moved to Dubai in 2012, where he worked as a security guard for seven years before returning to Kenya in 2019. In early 2020, he travelled back to the UAE to seek new employment but was arrested shortly after his arrival and charged in connection with a fraud case involving AED 1.18 million (approximately KSh 41.7 million). Prosecutors alleged that documents he submitted to a job recruiter—who the family says was later identified as a Nigerian national involved in online scams—were central to the fraudulent activity. 

Although Mr Kariuki denied the charges and insisted that no direct evidence linked him to the crime, he was convicted in September 2020 and sentenced to one year in prison, followed by deportation. Before completing the initial sentence, he was implicated in a second case involving a larger fraud of AED 2 million (around KSh 70 million), in which authorities claimed he belonged to a group that impersonated financial institutions through fake email accounts to deceive companies into transferring funds.

His lawyer, Jumaa Maleh, argued that Mr Kariuki was already in custody when the second offence is alleged to have occurred, challenging the legitimacy of the conviction. However, the court upheld the charges and imposed a fine of AED 2 million with an additional annual interest rate of nine percent. His family says they are unable to meet the financial penalty. 

“Even if we sold everything we have or held a harambee, we would not raise Sh81 million,” said his father, John Thiong’o, at their home in Kangoya village.

The family has appealed to Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to pursue diplomatic efforts for Mr Kariuki’s release and repatriation. They cite procedural concerns and the acquittal of one of his co-accused as grounds for a review of the case.

Mr Kariuki’s situation reflects broader challenges faced by Kenyans detained abroad, many of whom encounter legal systems that differ significantly from Kenya’s. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 1,000 Kenyans are currently imprisoned overseas, mostly for offences such as drug trafficking, immigration violations, and fraud. Many cases involve individuals who may have unknowingly become entangled in criminal activities due to limited awareness of local laws or difficult economic circumstances.

In response to the growing number of such cases, Mr Mudavadi has urged Parliament to allocate funds for legal assistance to Kenyan citizens detained abroad, noting that existing consular support is often inadequate when dealing with complex foreign legal matters. The Kariuki family remains hopeful that renewed diplomatic engagement will lead to a resolution.