A Nairobi businessman has sued the State and Mwananchi Credit Limited, seeking Sh26.95 million in compensation over a Range Rover he says remained detained for nearly eight years after a dispute involving a Sh4 million loan.
Bryan Yongo Otumba and Wayaga Construction Company Limited have filed a case at the Milimani High Court accusing the State, Mwananchi Credit and the lender’s director, Dennis Mwangeka Mombo of malicious prosecution, false imprisonment and unlawful detention of the vehicle. The suit is still pending, meaning the allegations have not been finally determined.
According to court records, Yongo obtained the Sh4 million facility from Mwananchi Credit in November 2016, using his Range Rover Autobiography, registration KCH 856A, as security.
The businessman says Mwananchi Credit conducted due diligence on the vehicle’s ownership before approving the loan and found the documents genuine. The same account appears in an earlier High Court case filed by Yongo.
Yongo now alleges that a dispute over the loan later turned into a criminal matter. He says Mwananchi Credit reported him to police in March 2018, after which he was arrested and charged alongside Wayaga Construction Company in a criminal case involving allegations including forgery, obtaining money by false pretences and handling suspected stolen property.
The Range Rover was subsequently held as a police exhibit for years. Yongo says it remained detained for close to eight years, exposing it to deterioration and depriving him of its use.
The High Court ordered its release on July 29, 2026, with the vehicle eventually released around August 20, according to the suit. Yongo is seeking Sh1.5 million for legal and court expenses, Sh13.95 million for loss of use over 93 months and Sh11.5 million for loss in value or restoration costs.
Mwananchi credit logo. Photo/Screengrab by Kenya Digest
Other Mwananchi disputes
The case adds to a record of disputes involving the lender.
In one case, a High Court upheld a finding that interest and penalties charged on a Ksh205,000 loan were unconscionable, unfair and oppressive. Read the Kagiri judgment
In another, the High Court described the repossession of a borrower’s vehicle as being of doubtful legality. Read the Onyango judgment
A separate case also resulted in compensation after a disputed sale of a borrower’s vehicle was found unlawful. Read the Opiyo judgment
These cases do not, by themselves, establish that every Mwananchi Credit transaction is unlawful. But they raise legitimate questions about aggressive lending, charges and enforcement practices that Kenyan borrowers should examine carefully before taking loans.