A man has been arraigned in court and charged with conning Sh200,000 from Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina on March 3rd, 2019.
Senator Ledama alleges that he met the suspect identified as Peter Njoroge on Facebook.
He says that he saw a post on Facebook made by the suspect, who claimed to be offering dairy farming services through his company dubbed Pensmart Dairy Solutions.
Ledama contacted Njoroge seeking his services of constructing a cowshed at his Narok farm.
The two reportedly met in Nairobi and traveled to the Senator’s farm in Narok, where Njoroge was shown where the structure was to be built.
The court documents show that after negotiations, the two agreed on a fee of Sh320,000 and construction was to begin immediately.
They also reportedly settled on a down payment of Sh200,000 and the remaining amount was to be paid once the work is completed.
However, to the surprise of the senator, two weeks later, Njoroge, who identifies himself as Pensmart Dairy Solutions CEO, was yet to start building the cowshed.
He later switched off his phone and when he picked, he kept making empty promises to the Senator before finally admitting he was unable to deliver the project.
Njoroge was arrested after Senator Kina reported the matter to the police.
He has been charged with obtaining money by false pretenses.
He denied the charges and has been released on a cash bail of Sh150,000.
The case will be mentioned on July 1st.
Cases of cyber bullying and criminals impersonating and conning public servants have been on the rise.
Detectives attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have launched investigation to nab a notorious syndicate using a fake identity of Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma to con Kenyans.
The detectives under Cyber Crime department undertook forensic analyses on Tuesday to establish the nature of electronic gadgets used to contact victims of the scam and the location of the impersonators.
The CS had complained to DCI boss George Kinoti of criminals impersonating her and using her name and photo to solicit money from her social circles.
“Our attention has been drawn to social media accounts that are impersonating the Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monica Juma. These accounts are being used to solicit money from unsuspicious individuals. Kindly note that the CS has one Twitter account (@Diplomacy_Kenya) only and has no Facebook account,” Juma’s office wrote.
1/2: Our attention has been drawn to a number of social media accounts that are impersonating the CS MFA (Amb Monica Juma-@Diplomacy_Kenya). Unfortunately, these accounts are being used to solicit money from unsuspicious individuals.
— ForeignAffairsKenya (@ForeignOfficeKE) May 20, 2019
2/2: Kindly note that The CS has one twitter account (@Diplomacy_Kenya) ONLY and NO Facebook account.
We therefore urge anyone with information on those operating the account below or any other account to share with us or investigating agencies for action. pic.twitter.com/XU75sECz0T
— ForeignAffairsKenya (@ForeignOfficeKE) May 20, 2019
In February, seven suspects were arrested for allegedly impersonating President Uhuru Kenyatta and fraudulently acquired sh 10 million from a Nairobi tycoon.
The suspects are accused of calling the chairman of Sameer Africa Naushad Merali and asking for Ksh 10 million using mobile number 0722208842 in the name of the president.
The seven, Joseph Waswa, Duncan Muchai, Isaac Wajekeche, William Simiyu, David Luganya, Gilbert Kirunja and Anthony Wafula, were later released on a Ksh 100,000 bond.
DCI George Kinoti urged persons who have been contacted by the criminals to volunteer information to his office. “Detectives from the Cyber Crime Unit have commenced investigations to ensure the perpetrators are dealt with according to the law,” he said.
We urge anyone who has been defrauded through this manner to report to us through our email:director@cid.go.ke or DM us. Detectives from the Cyber Crime Unit have already commenced investigations into this matter with the aim of bringing all those involved to justice. https://t.co/XGOAi9pS1e
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) May 20, 2019