Ruth Wairimu was running a club where she lent money to the officers based in Kenyatta Camp, Gilgil, in Nakuru county, between 2020 and 2022 whenever they asked for it.According to her, the soldiers were her customers, and she could borrow from banks to ensure they were sorted. “The officers were my customers. I came through for them whenever they requested it. Little did I know they were conmen,” she stated. As reported by KTN News, the officers honoured the payment agreement in the first instance, which prompted her to trust them a second time. Despite leaving her with their national IDs and military uniforms as collateral, they managed to escape with her millions. “I borrowed money to help them out, using only an original ID as collateral. Some deceived me, claiming they needed funds for funerals, but I eventually discovered they borrowed to indulge in drinking,” Wairimu reminisced. As per her account, the officers blocked her as some threatened to take her life. “I had all their IDs, including the one who left me with a uniform. He had told me there was a loan he was applying for from a bank, and so his original ID was mandatory for the process. He left me with his bag, alleging it contained clothes he intended to have repaired.” Wairimu’s once-flourishing business dies Due to defaulting on multiple loans, the desperate mother lost her business and had her land and car sold by brokers to cover the debts. During the interview, the stressed and former business star disclosed that she resorted to relying on people for food. Sadly, her child couldn’t get admission to Form One because she couldn’t afford to pay the school fees. “Mimi nimeathirika vilivyo. Hata chakula nasidiwa tu an majirani. Stress an mawazo mengi imefanya nikapata stroke. Mtoto wangu ako nyumbani angefaa kuingia Form One, lakini sikuwa an pesa,” she cried. Wairimu reported the case to the police In her depressed state, she decided to seek police intervention at the Gilgil police station. According to her narration, the officers who duped her were summoned after she gave out the pieces of evidence, but no action was taken. “After the OCS took them, he conducted his investigations and informed the officers that he had their IDs. I was then called by the military, where I went and gave out all the bank statements. What followed was a warning that demanded I don’t return to the police, as they promised to deal with them and conclude the case,” she said with a heavy heart. Wairimu wrote to the KDF in August 2022, where they advised her not to proceed to any court as they would act on the matter. One year down the line, she has yet to get feedback. The KDF Communication Department admitted receiving the letter but could not take any legal action to avoid infringement of the agreement. They, however, condemned what the soldiers did, arguing that it was against the law to engage in that financial business. They advised Wairimu to seek justice from the police and the court. “That was an agreement we cannot be involved in. There is no way we can compel the officials to pay back her money when they had signed an agreement,” read their response in part. She calls for government intervention Wairimu, who has a young baby, is now on the verge of losing her only family land to the financiers. She appealed to the government to intervene in her case and hold the officers who swindled her thousands of dollars accountable. “I have nothing left; brokers are threatening to take the only piece of land we are settling on. I just want to request that the president intervene. These people behave like superpowers. They saw how I was conned but decided to mute,” she lamented. Similar case In December 2022, a policewoman based in Gatundu North, Kiambu County, was conned over KSh 86,000 by an imposter who promised to get her job at the Central Bank of Kenya. A report by TUKO.co.ke stated that the recipient of the money told Seargent Evelyn Karimi Njeru that she was the secretary to Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Jacinta Muthoni at Vigilance House. “The owner impersonated herself to be the secretary to one madam, Jacinta Muthoni AIG, based at Vigilance House, and was in a position to deploy her at the Central Bank of Kenya,” the police report read in part.
BY Nancy Odindo