Ex-Oki Director Accused of Diverting over 356 Millions into Personal Accounts

Former OKI director Honey Khatwani before Milimani law courts on September 25/2025

The trial of former Oki Company director Honey Khatwani took a turn on Thursday at Milimani Law Courts, with witnesses alleging that the businessman siphoned millions of shillings from the company into his personal and family accounts.

Sameer Kewal Ramani, who appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi, told the court that funds from Oki Company were frequently deposited into Khatwani’s Ecobank accounts, both in Kenya shillings and US dollars. According to Ramani, once the deposits were made, receipts were sent to Khatwani via WhatsApp.

He further claimed that cheques from clients, intended for Oki Company, were also diverted into Khatwani’s personal accounts.

“So many cheques are there from the client’s bank, which have gone to his personal accounts,” the witness said, noting that the irregularities were documented in an audit report.

Ramani also alleged that some of the money was routed to Khatwani’s wife through her M-Pesa account, adding that while he could not personally access her statements, the audit files contained evidence of the transactions.

The witness described a system in which employees shared daily financial and operational reports with Khatwani on WhatsApp, only for the director to allegedly alter the information before passing it on.

When asked why these issues were never raised internally, Ramani explained that senior company officials were Khatwani’s brothers, making reporting difficult.

Another witness, who has worked at Oki Company since July 2023, told the court he initially lacked a work permit and had asked Khatwani to apply for one on his behalf. While he could not produce written proof, he insisted, “I am the eyewitness. Not everything is done through emails,some things are done through calls.”

The witness added that employment contracts and payslips were controlled by Khatwani, with salaries paid in cash. Despite requesting for his salary to be deposited in a bank account, the director never facilitated this and also failed to process his work permit. He alleged that Khatwani used verbal threats to coerce employees into compliance, though he had no documented evidence of the threats.

Further testimony suggested Khatwani personally contacted clients, urging them to purchase goods from Oki Company while presenting his personal firm as part of the same business. Customers reportedly called to complain about the confusion, attributing the misleading information to Khatwani himself.

According to the prosecution, discrepancies in company records, revenue, collections, and expenditures were all traced back to Khatwani’s involvement. He faces accusations of diverting more than Sh356 million from Oki Company through falsified records, misappropriation of client funds, and other irregularities.

The matter is set for mention on September 29, when the prosecution is expected to call additional witnesses.

Honey Khatwani, an Indian national living in Kenya, is a former director of Oki General Trading Limited, a Nairobi-based import company. He is accused of allegedly diverting more than KSh 356 million from the firm between 2020 and 2024 by depositing clients’ cheques and cash into his personal accounts.

Investigators also allege he used part of the money to start another company, Galaxy Middle East & Africa Ltd.

Khatwani was charged in June 2025 with theft by a director, denied the allegations, and was freed on a bail. His attempt to have his passport released for travel to India was rejected by the court.