Police in Murang’a have arrested a middle-aged woman accused of conning 22 people, pretending she would help them acquire jobs at the county.
The suspect, a county worker, is said to have approached the victims in July, telling them the county was looking to hire casual workers.
To be recruited, the victims were told they needed to part with at least Sh10,000 each, which would go towards acquiring both NSSF and NHIF cards, dust coats, gloves, gumboots and caps for them.
Desperate, the victims sought funds, with some taking loans, and gave the money to the suspect, who works as a sweeper with the promise of getting employed.
Edwin Marathi from Thuita village in Mathioya was introduced to the suspect through a friend and was excited at the prospects of finally getting a job.
The suspect only identified herself as Mary and told the victims she was working with another person she called Grace.
Marathi’s designation was to supervise the rest of the group and ensure they attended work at the right time and did their work well.
He would commute from his village to Murang'a town every day.
Nancy Nyambura, another complainant, said she laboured every day but nothing prepared her for the shock she suffered when she realised she had been conned.
Nyambura paid Sh9,660 to the suspect and was told to start working as a sweeper in Mumbi estate for a salary of Sh15,000 a month.
“Mercy refused to introduce us to her workmate, Grace, who was supposedly receiving the money we sent,” she said.
Nyambura said they only realised Grace and Mercy were the same person when they started agitating for their salaries.
“When we reached out to Mercy asking about our pay, she said she would call us for a meeting together with Grace but when we called the latter’s mobile phone number, we realised it was Mercy answering it,” Nyambura said.
Another victim, James Kamau, had to part with Sh20,000, which he sent to the suspect through M-Pesa. The confirmation message indicated that the suspect's name is Mercy Wamuyu.
Kamau, a boda boda operator, wanted a more secure job and thought he had gotten lucky when he met Mercy.
The boda boda operator was assigned the duty of impounding lorries and public service vehicles that breached the rules near Huhi petrol station.
Once, he was told to take a vehicle he had impounded outside the county’s offices but the suspect did not show up and after staying there until 4pm, Kamau released the vehicle and left.
The boda boda operator appealed to the county to follow up on the case and ensure they are paid, saying they diligently worked believing they were working for the Murang'a government.
Caroline Wambui, another victim, paid Sh10,000 and was also sweeping the streets of Mumbi estate.
Wambui worked since June and was told she would be paid after the new governor was sworn in.
“It is now weeks after the governor was sworn in and she still did not tell us when we would be paid. So we all went looking for her and took her to the county government’s offices, where they told us to go to the police,” Wambui said.
She said they want the suspect forced to return their money, saying they sometimes went hungry as they waited for their salaries.
Murang’a East subcounty police commander Mary Wakuu confirmed the suspect was in their custody at the Murang’a police station.
“We received the report about the suspect today at 8.30am and immediately started our investigations,” Wakuu said.
The complainants have all recorded statements, she said, and the suspect will be arraigned in Murang’a law courts on Wednesday and charged with obtaining money under false pretenses.
The police boss said there could more victims and cautioned the public to ensure they interrogate job opportunities to ensure they are genuine.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
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