On Thursday, April 3, 2025, Humphrey Mulindi Muthahana and Steve Ochieng Odhiambo entered a not guilty plea in the Milimani Magistrate Court regarding charges of conspiracy to defraud Emily Silaton Mututua, the director of Milestone Gemstone Kenya Limited, of Tanzanite minerals.
The prosecution alleges that between February 3 and March 5, 2021, the defendants conspired to deceive Mututua into handing over 687.283 carats of Tanzanite, valued at USD 203,436 (around Ksh22.3 million), by falsely claiming they could sell the minerals in Dubai. Additionally, on February 5, 2021, they reportedly obtained 456.8 carats of Tanzanite worth USD 147,553 (approximately Ksh16.2 million) under the same pretense at the Ministry of Mining offices in Nairobi.
The charge sheet also indicates that on March 5, 2021, they fraudulently acquired another 230.483 carats valued at USD 71,883 (about Ksh7.9 million) from Mututua, again claiming they would sell the stones in Dubai. Defense attorney Denis Seko requested reasonable bond terms for his clients, leading Magistrate Carolyne Nyaguthii to set a bond of Ksh5 million or a cash bail of Ksh2 million for each accused.
