Kisii town residents have expressed their fears following the emergence of conmen masquerading as cobblers.
The rare but shocking trend has caught many victims unaware making them lose their shoes in the hands of conmen.
One of the victims Moses Mogaka said he lost his black leather shoes after the cobbler he had taken his shoe for the sole to be replaced went missing.
“I was shocked when I went back only to find that the man had relocated to unknown place, since then his phone number is unreachable,” said Mogaka.
Mogaka said that conmen are very challenging to identify since they present themselves as qualified, honest and reliable individuals.
Another victim Jane Nyaramba, a student at Kenya Medical Training College Kisii branch also recounts how her shoes were sold secretly as she was held waiting for three weeks by one of the cobblers in the town.
“I was told to wait for three weeks since according to the fundi, he was waiting for new soles to be sent from Nairobi only to realise later that the shoe was sold to my fellow student,” claimed Nyaramba.
Nyaramba appealed to relevant authorities to take an action against those perpetuating the vice since members of the public are vulnerable.
Kisii police boss Simon Kiragu warned conmen who have taken advantage of their customers, noting they will be arrested if found.
“It is unethical for any business individual to manipulate customers and I am warning them to stop the trend because once caught the law will take its course,” said Kiragu.