A police officer attached to Langas Police Station in Eldoret is accusing a fake journalist, who also introduced himself as an employee of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of conning him Sh300, 000.
Corporal Edward Kemboi claims that the man promised to organise to have his son employed in the NIS, after which he agreed to pay the money which the accused said was a government registration fee.
He says that the man earned his trust after a year of mingling, saying that he always showed up at the station with a microphone and camera, purporting to be covering stories under directives of his bosses.
“When I met this man at the police station, he looked like a gentleman. The reason why I fell in the trap, he was well dressed, always holding a camera and a microphone, without knowing he was a senior and professional conman," Kemboi told the Standard.
The officer says that he proceeded to secure a loan at the Police Sacco and accompanied the man to Nairobi, where his son Erick Tanui was to sign employment papers at the NIS headquarters, but the man disappeared into the streets.
He now says that he has undergone a great loss, having missed what he was promised while the Sacco deducts its money from his salary every month.
"My worry is how I can get this conman. He didn’t give us his full names, he is a person known to many people including journalists. My family is suffering following a heavy deduction from my salary. I pray that justice will take its course so that I can recover my money,” said the officer.
The incident was confirmed by Langas OCPD Wilson Waqo Abduba who's said that such cases are on the rise in the region, adding that his officers are already pursuing the accused.
“Such cases are normal in a society, our officers are out there investigating the matter. Don’t worry we will inform you once we are done with the investigations,” he said.