Tycoon Tabitha Karanja Narrates How Her Late Daughter Transferred over Sh1 Million to Boyfriend

An inquest into the death of Keroche Breweries heiress Tecra Muigai commenced on Monday at Milimani law courts in Nairobi.

Tecra’s mother Tabitha Karanja, who was the first to testify, accused Tecra's boyfriend Omar Lali of preying on her daughter, saying she transferred huge sums of money to him before her death.

While asking God to avenge her daughter’s death, the Keroche Breweries founder and CEO lamented how Tecra worked hard only to share her money with an old man, who was supposed to be providing for her. 

She read Tecra’s bank statement that showed how she transferred more than Sh1 million to Lali, 52, within five months.

“He was after my daughter’s hard-earned income and when she realized that she could not give him money anymore, he killed her,” an emotional Tabitha said.

Documents show that Tecra transferred Sh150,000 to Lali on August 19th, 2019, and a similar amount the following day. She also moved another Sh150,000 to him eight days later.

On October 18th, 2019, the deceased sent to Lali Sh100,000 and another Sh100,000 on November 1st, 2019. Two weeks later on November 13th, she transferred Sh200,000 to her boyfriend and an additional Sh100,000 the next month.

Tecra sent Lali Sh60,000 and Sh80,000 on March 3rd, 2020, and March 13th respectively. Tabitha also told the court that police found unsigned bank slips in the house Tecra cohabited with Lali, whereby she had transferred money to him.

Tabitha said she was shocked when her daughter sent her a photo of her boyfriend on WhatsApp. “I told her that she had sent the wrong photo. The guy was too old for her…She told me, No, he is the one,” said Tabitha.

She tried to convince Tecra to stop dating Lali but her advice fell on deaf ears. Tabitha added that Tecra admitted she had relationship problems with Lali but she refused to quit. “When your child is over 30, there is very little you can do,” she said.

Tecra died at the Nairobi Hospital on May 2nd, a few days after she allegedly fell down the stairs at a holiday home in Lamu, where she was living with Lali.

An autopsy revealed that Tecra succumbed to injuries she suffered on the left side of her head, which was consistent with a fall down the stairs.

But Tabitha told the court that the family believes their daughter was murdered.

“It was not true what Omar was alleging. The injuries were severe so we reported to the police. The doctor told us that if it was a fall, there would have been scars in other parts of the body. She had two cracks on the head,” Tabitha explained.

She added that Lali lied that Tecra was drunk at the time, yet the doctors’ report revealed that she had not taken any alcohol.