Ruth Muthoni Kamau. This is the seemingly ‘untouchable woman’ who has been exposed by a report that was published in the Nation Media Group’s Daily Nation on Kenya’s largest bank heist that occurred at Equity Bank in 2024.
According to the expose, Ruth Muthoni has been singled out as a central player in the Sh1.5 billion Equity Bank heist, yet one year after the shocking heist, she is yet to record a statement with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
In another puzzling revelation, the Daily Nation report says that Ruth Muthoni has been accused of being behind the transfer of a lead detective who was investigating the theft. The detective was identified as Inspector Bonface Mwangi Kamau.
He was transferred from the Banking Fraud Investigation Unit (BFIU) at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Nairobi to Baragoi in Samburu County. These types of transfers are known as a form of punishment for officers who refuse to tow the line as directed by their bosses.
In this case, the report by the Daily Nation says that Inspector Kamau has claimed that his transfer was pushed after influential individuals in the security structure failed to rescue Ruth Muthoni from the investigations.
“Kamau has written protest letters to DCI boss Mohamed Amin, Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, the Internal Affairs Unit of the National Police Service and the National Police Service Commission, claiming that his transfer is part of an attempt to scuttle the heist investigations,” the expose by the Daily Nation states.
“Kamau claims that the transfer follows failed attempts by some heavy hitters in the security structure to rescue a woman the detectives believes was the Sh1.5 billion heist’s mastermind — Ruth Muthoni Kamau.”
The expose states that Inspector Kamau was transferred to Baragoi on October 11, 2024 after a complaint that was filed by Ruth Muthoni. “[She] filed a complaint with the Directorate of Public Complaints… [She cited Inspector Kamau’s] criticism of her statement with the BFIU of July 22, 2024. She claimed that [Inspector Kamau] directed her to raise surety of Sh10 million for which no receipt was issued, and also claimed that [he] had orchestrated her abduction and that of other arrests,” the Daily Nation reported.
However, the detective rubbished these claims saying there would not have been a Sh10 million surety as the woman was released on Sh300,000 police bail. Alarmingly, Inspector Kamau’s transferred was effected even before the complaint lodged by Muthoni could have bee investigated.
Citing correspondence, the expose reports that Ruth Muthoni is alleged to have pocketed over Sh800 million. Two of her companies which were identified as Goodmans Fresh Ltd and Blue Kenfresh Ltd are alleged to have received Sh105 million.
READ MORE: How Sh. 1.5 billion was stolen from Equity Bank in daring July money heist
This woman, the paper adds, is also alleged to have received money to her personal bank accounts. She also allegedly received money from other suspects in the heist.
The expose states that Ruth Muthoni was singled out by several suspects in the heist, which caused the BFIU to seek an additional statement from her. The investigative report states that she agreed to record the statement on October 30, 2024 after stalling several attempts. However, by July 14, 2025, she was yet to record the additional statement.
