Former KU Lecturer Takes Driver to Court Over Alleged Ksh 1.4 Million Fraud
Court documents also reveal that Lagat is said to have conspired with other unknown individuals to carry out the fake transactions.
Boit reported at Naiberi Police Station in Ainabkoi Sub-County, where he also issued a written statement detailing the suspected scam. Photo/courtesy.
By Ruth Sang
Former Kenyatta University lecturer and renowned middle-distance runner Professor Mike Kipsugut Boit has sued his former driver for allegedly withdrawing Ksh 1.4 million from his various bank accounts in Eldoret and Kapsabet. The 76-year-old retired academic, who taught Exercise and Sports Science, narrated to an Eldoret court how his former loyal driver allegedly defrauded his trust by masterminding the theft over time.
He testified before Eldoret Chief Magistrate Dennis Mikoyan that his driver, Kevin Kipruto Lagat, secretly obtained his M-Pesa PIN and utilized it to check his financial accounts unauthorized. He indicated that he had trusted Lagat that much that he had allowed him to handle his cell phone when it came to money transactions without realizing that the same trust would be applied when fraudulent acts were carried out later.
After hearing Professor Boit’s testimony, he discovered that something was off while experiencing suspicious withdrawals from his accounts. The court was told that the accused waited opportunistically for times to strike when Boit was preoccupied and transferring cash out of his KCB and M-Pesa accounts.
Boit reported at Naiberi Police Station in Ainabkoi Sub-County, where he also issued a written statement detailing the suspected scam. In his account, he said he would sometimes employ Lagat to ferry him from Nandi Hills to Nairobi for work errands on behalf of his employers and paid him a daily wage since it was not a permanent engagement.
In a dramatic revelation, the retired lecturer gave evidence that Lagat utilized a phone number that had been registered under the name of someone who had died 15 years ago to conduct the illicit transfers. Investigations revealed that Ksh 550,304 was transferred illegally from the account of Boit at KCB in Eldoret, and a further Ksh 480,000 was siphoned from his account in the KCB Nandi Hills branch.
Court documents also reveal that Lagat is said to have conspired with other unknown individuals to carry out the fake transactions. The offenses as stated are said to have been committed between December 23, 2023, and January 27, 2025, in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County.
The accused, defended by attorney Tecla Tum, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. In the next hearing, the defense will present their side, as the prosecution continues to present witnesses and evidence placing Lagat in the middle of embezzlement of funds.
Chief Magistrate Mikoyan directed the hearing to be adjourned to January 26, 2026, when the court will reconvene for the hearing. The case remains a matter of public interest, given Professor Boit’s distinguished history as an academic and a famous sportsperson in Kenyan athletics.
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