Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi recently confessed that he had lost more than Sh11 million to con groups who dupe people around Eldoret town that they can multiply money. The conmen leave victims with fake currency, as they flee with the genuine cash given to them.
Eldoret is awash with stories of the illegal business, popularly known as ‘Wash Wash’, which has been thriving in the town in the recent past. Sudi is just but one of the many victims, especially athletes, politicians and businessmen, who have fallen victims to illicit trade.
The MP spoke of his tribulations in the wake of the riches-to-rags story of athlete Daniel Komen, who claims to have been conned of shillings and property by a lawyer friend. Komen is also said to have lost cash through the Wash Wash groups in Eldoret.
“I fell victim to the con groups and was left with the fake currency, which I just had to dispose of,” Sudi said.
Just recently, Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago issued a public warning about the Wash Wash groups, whom he said were operating from a house in Elgon View area of Eldoret.
Many of the groups operate in residential areas, where they rent private houses and have fake currency printing machines.
“We know where they operate and we will soon go for them,” Mandago said. His warning came amid an outcry from tens of people who had been conned of their hard-earned money.
TRIPLE TRAGEDY
The most shocking case was when a prominent bishop in the region fell victim two years ago and delivered Sh17 million to a group of conmen, including four foreigners, who promised to triple the cash.
The clergyman was left with two 90kg bags full of fake currency. The church faced a crisis that almost led to the auction of its assets. Police could not arrest those involved as they immediately fled out of the country.
Photo caption:
A businessman in Eldoret checks against the sun to identify the water mark on a Sh 1,000 so as to know if its genuine
“It’s a deep-rooted illegal business that we have to deal with because many victims are suffering in silence,” Mandago said.
A former powerful minister from Trans Nzoia early this year lost Sh4.8 million to the Wash Wash groups, while another famous athlete in Uasin Gishu known for his high life including driving in sleek cars around Eldoret, also walked into a makeshift casino with Sh4 million in cash and lost all of it.
His wife called the Star newspaper in Eldoret to expose the con game but the athlete prevailed on her not to expose the matter.
“As a family, we have lost more than Sh10 million to the Wash Wash groups, shylocks (loan sharks) and other conmen, but we cannot talk about it because my husband, who is a prominent athlete, doesn’t want to be exposed,” said the wife, who identified herself at Josephine.
One MCA in Eldoret wept in public after getting a Sh3 million loan from the county assembly and gave it to the Wash Wash groups to multiply it. The unwise investment went up in smoke and the MCA was only left with multiplied problems and continues to repay the loan.
“We are aware of this illegal business and already the county security team is taking measures to bring those involved to book. People must do legal business and those who want to rely on conning will be dealt with ruthlessly,” Uasin Gishu county commissioner Abdi Hassan said.
Hassan said foreigners involved in such illegal business will also be prosecuted and deported. Businessmen from Uganda and Tanzania are also said to have lost money to the gangs in Eldoret.
HOW THEY OPERATE
The Wash Wash groups in Eldoret are known to involve young people who collude with foreigners, mainly from Cameroon and Congo. Police have been making efforts to crack down on the illicit trade without success, amid claims that some of the security officers are involved in the deals.
Some of the houses used as hideouts where the Wash Wash business is said to take place are located in areas like Elgon View, West Indies and Mwanzo among other residential areas.
Mostly printed are fake Sh1,000 notes. Shop owners have frequently complained of fake notes circulating.
So lucrative has been the Wash Wash and shylock business around Eldoret that some of those involved are now aspiring political aspirants for elective seats. One of them who is not known to engage in any other business recently told journalists he had set aside Sh20 million for publicity alone during the campaigns.
Eldoret is known to have a lot of money in circulation, especially during wheat and maize harvesting season, and the Wash Wash gangs, along with commercial sex workers and property dealers, flock to the region to make a killing.
Athletes are the most affected. Stories are told of how the gangs usually monitor races to know Kenyans who win and then target them on return. Many of the athletes are less educated and easily fall pray to conmen, including those who cheat them with investments plans that end up being con games.
Athletics Kenya (AK) President Jackson Tuwei says they are aware of cases of athletes who have lost their hard-earned cash to conmen.
“We usually have many training forums for athletes on investments and we urge that they should not ignore such forums, where they will be advised accordingly, instead of relying on people with other interests,” he said.
Former Boston Marathon champion Moses Tanui, who has investments in Eldoret, says the upcoming athletes who land into money early in life require guidance to avoid falling into financial problems.
“It’s not just Wash Wash or shylocks. Many just invest in wasteful ventures. AK must really step in to help the athletes use their earnings well,” he said.
GAMBLING AND HIRING RACKETS
Hassan said many people have the urge to get quick money and do not think twice when approached by the Wash Wash gangs. “Shortcuts do not pay. People, especially the youth, must learn to work hard to earn a living by getting genuine money,” Hassan said.
The county commissioner said apart from Wash Wash gangs, the area has also been flooded by operators of gambling machines, who are also fleecing members of the public.
“We have seized some of the illegal machines and we will intensify the crackdown to net all those operating illegal businesses, be it Wash Wash, shylock or gambling,” he said.
The backstreet businesses appear to be thriving in this North Rift town that is a hub to farming and other investments. Bishop Sybery Nyabero of the Baptist Churches sympathises with victims but says security agencies should crack down on the illegal operations.
“People work hard to earn genuine money end up losing it in stupid ways, while those who do not sweat benefit. This Wash Wash business is a threat to our economy when we have too much fake cash in circulation,” Nyabero said.
Police are also investigating the link between the con groups and employment rackets, where those involved collect money from unsuspecting people promising the jobs at keys state parastatals and private firms.
NAKED FURY
A 24-hour bar along Uganda Road in Eldoret is known to be frequented by wealthy farmers, many of whom end up losing millions of shillings every year to sex workers.
Last December, one farmer had just been paid Sh350,000 by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) for maize deliveries. He withdrew the money from the bank, stashed it in his pockets and headed to the popular bar, where he got hooked up by one of the commercial sex workers.
They later went into a room, where the man was allegedly drugged. He woke up the following day to find himself alone without the cash and even his clothes.
The farmer ran into the streets naked and wailed as he searched for the sex worker, who had vanished.
Some on the streets thought the farmer had gone mad, but his predicament is no different from similar tales in the Wash Wash madness that has plagued Eldoret, leaving a trail of people with harrowing tales of riches to rags.
Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi
MP Sudi, who rose from a matatu operator to an MP and successful businessman, is lucky to have made it back in life, as many others suffer and die in silence as victims of the con tricks.
Eldoret town, popularly known as the City of Champions, is slowly being turned into the City of Wash Wash Business.