How city businesswoman was conned Sh2.3 million in fake jobs scam
A suspected fraudster who allegedly conned a city businesswoman of Sh2.3 million promising foreign jobs and scholarships for her children has been charged with obtaining money by false pretenses contrary to section 313 of the Penal Code.
Mr Festus Kirui is facing charges of obtaining the money from Ms Mary Wangari Ndung’u on diverse dates between December 9, 2022 and June 7, 2023 while pretending he was in a position to secure employment and education scholarships at Canada for her two daughters knowing the same was false.
He is accused of committing the offence in Kamukunji in Nairobi with intent to defraud. The accused person is alleged to have conned the complainant of the cash, which was sent to him via mobile money transfer platform, while claiming he was processing a visa and other travel documents for the victim’s children.
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He continuously urged Ms Ndung’u to continue sending the cash as he handled the process in an alleged fraud that took six months.
Ms Ndung’u later insisted on meeting Mr Kirui to receive updates on the progress of her daughters’ relocation process he claimed to have been undertaking only to discover that nothing was happening and that she was being conned.
Mr Kirui allegedly evaded and declined to meet Ms Ndung’u after she demanded to be shown the documents used in the process of obtaining the travel documents prompting her to report the matter to Kamukunji police station.
The suspect was arrested after investigations were concluded. He denied the charges before Makadara Chief Magistrate Francis Kyambia.
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The police constable Josiah Mokenye, who investigated the case, filed an affidavit in court opposing bail and bond terms for the suspect. PC Mokenye stated that Mr Kirui is a flight risk as he keeps changing places of residence and was uncooperative during the investigations.
The police officer further submitted that Mr Kirui had also declined to produce his national identity card and record a statement during investigations. However, Mr Kyambia granted the accused a bond of Sh1 million and an alternative cash bail of Sh800,000.
The case will be mentioned on September 4, 2023 before trial begins on January 22, 2024.
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