Luo Professionals WhatsApp admins in trouble over missing funeral funds
Coast
By
Joackim Bwana
| Mar 17, 2026
Luo Professionals WhatsApp group officials accused of withholding funeral funds in Mombasa. [File Courtesy]
Several top officials of a WhatsApp group have been sued for irregularly withholding part of the group’s funeral funds meant for bereaved members.
Julius Ogogoh, a founding member of Luo Professionals Group Mombasa, said that the officials have been withholding 10 per cent of over Sh300,000 contributed for each bereaved member.
Ogogo, the Director of Centre for Litigation Trust (CLT), a Mombasa-based rights group, asked the High Court to order the group’s Chair, Secretary and Treasurer to release the funds irregularly withheld.
Ogogoh also accused the group's chair, secretary and treasurer, who also double up as admins, of removing him and other members from the group for raising mismanagement issues of the funds.
READ MORE
Africa needs 150,000 more construction managers by 2035, PMI report warns
Kenya farm exports to gain duty free access to Chinese market
Turf wars at anti-counterfeit agency as legal chief interdicted
State faces new hurdle in meeting Safaricom stake sale conditions
Exit of Lokichar-Lamu line ties KPC's growth to complex oil export plan
Why exposing young children to AI content could have irreversible consequences
Pension assets in fixed deposits drop 11pc on low interest rates
Why fuel prices have remained unchanged despite attacks on Iran
In the petition filed before Justice Jairus Ngaah, he accused the officials of registering the group as a Community-Based Organisation [CBO] without the members’ authority and obtaining registration documents.
Ogogoh said the officials unilaterally proceeded to open an account with Bandari Sacco, where members were directed to deposit the monies.
“An order directing the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer to immediately release all the irregularly withheld 10 per cent of all the benevolent funds to the entitled and bereaved members with an update of the same to the larger membership,” said Ogogoh.
However, according to the group's officials, the 10 per cent was utilised for the group activities. a fact Ogogoh disputed as unsubstantiated.
Ogogoh said the welfare group has been in operation in Mombasa for the past eleven 11 years, with a current approximate membership of 363 members, with each member contributing sh1000 towards the benevolent fund.
He said in the past 11 years, the professionals have pooled resources together in order to ease financial burden among each other, especially in times of bereavement and further uplift the social and economic status of the members and their dependents.
Ogogoh said that without involving its members, the officials who are in acting capacity developed a policy where each member would contribute Sh1000 towards a benevolent fund.
However, from the over Sh300,000 collected, 10 per cent was to be withheld in the group for a period of one year till maturity and the bereaved member will redeem it as a windfall.
Ogogoh said that on March 13, 2026, the members of the welfare raised concerns over the retention of 10 per cent of the benevolent funds by the officials since no member has ever accessed the said funds after its maturity.
In the suit, Ogogoh asked the court to bar his removal from the WhatsApp group and order the officials to add him back after they removed him for echoing fundamental mismanagement issues raised by members and demanding a statement of accounts and an audit of the funds.
He said the leaders have failed to hold an Annual General Meeting to conduct elections, which has never happened since the inception of the group.
The Director accused the Chair of running the group as personal property while making arbitrary decisions, allocating posts and further responsibilities to the Secretary and Treasurer in total exclusion of the majority of the membership.
He further applied to the court to order the officials to provide registration documents of the said group and all documents submitted to the registering authority in line with Article 35 of the Constitution;
“An order directing the Respondents to provide the Petitioner (Ogogoh) and the members of the Luo Professionals Group Mombasa with the statement and audited accounts held with the Bandaru Sacco in the name of the Luo Professionals Group Mombasa or affiliated thereto from the time the account was opened in accordance with Article 35 of the Constitution,” said Ogogoh.