Brian Reeves Obare at the Milimani Law Courts during a hearing of the fake Canadian visa scam case on January 21, 2026. [Nancy Gitonga, Standard]
Brian Reeves Obare, accused of masquerading as a Canadian Embassy official and collecting Sh7.9 million for visas that never materialised, has suffered a blow after the High Court dismissed his petition challenging his prosecution.
Obare is accused of defrauding millions of shillings in the alleged 2024 visa scam from a travelling agency, which left dozens of travellers stranded, with some reportedly arrested or turned back to the country during transit after travelling on the strength of visas they believed had been legitimately processed.
In a judgement rendered by Justice Lawrence Mugambi, Obare’s constitutional petition was dismissed after finding that Obare had failed to demonstrate that his prosecution was commenced without reasonable or just cause or that police and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) acted illegally, in bad faith or abused their powers.
The judge also declined to quash the criminal case or stop its continuation before the Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court.
“The petitioner has not demonstrated that the prosecution was commenced without any reasonable or just cause, or was actuated with illegality or procedural impropriety that would warrant the same to be quashed by this court,” Justice Mugambi ruled.
“In the circumstances, this court finds that this petition is devoid of merit and is hereby dismissed with costs to the respondents and the interested parties,” he added.
Obare had moved to the High Court seeking orders to stop his prosecution in Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court Criminal Case No. E1114 of 2024, where he faces a charge of obtaining money by false pretences contrary to Section 313 of the Penal Code.