Siaya traders have lost more than Sh100,000 to conmen posing as county commissioner Michael Oletialal, the official has said.
Oletialal on Tuesday told reporters conmen called Siaya police station boss and instructed him to mobilise prominent business persons in the town for a security meeting.
The OCS thought he was receiving instructions from Oletialal. The conman said Interior PS Karanja Kibicho was to address the traders and issue them with firearms. The instructed that the names and contacts of the traders be forwarded to them.
Each trader was asked to pay Sh18,700 to cater for the expenses of the meeting and Kibicho's upkeep in Siaya town. The payment was also to facilitate the issuance of the guns.
“The fraudster also lied to the business people that apart from meeting the PS, each one of them will be issued with a licensed firearm and a special card that will guarantee them security escort free of charge any time they transport their goods,” Oletialal said.
The traders realised they had been conned on Tuesday when they turned up for the meeting but fund no one. The county commissioner said he had not been in communication with anyone about a meeting.
They confirmed the trick after the conmen continued to call even when they were with Oletialal himself.
The county commissioner said they had started investigations into the matter. He said the Siaya OCS is one those to be interrogated.
It was the second time the conmen were using the county commissioner’s name to swindle money from Siaya residents.
Last year, they attempted to con principals but the trick was exposed after the teachers paid the county commissioner a courtesy call to ascertain the matter.
