How suspected fraudster impersonated Susan Kihika in Sh70million con game
Lucy Nyambura Kibunja when she appeared before the Nakuru Law Court on March 15, 2024. Inset: Nakuru County Governor Susan Kihika.
What you need to know:
- The fraudsters went to great lengths to create an illusion of authenticity.
- Victims were manipulated into paying millions of shillings for non-existent public assets.
In May of last year, Nakuru businessman Peter Mwangi chanced upon what appeared to be a lucrative investment opportunity.
With a risk-taking entrepreneurial spirit, he invested Sh7million in the deal that promised significant returns through the acquisition of prime parcels of land and real estate.
For the amount, Mwangi was to own 4 acres of land at Nakuru's posh Milimani estate, 35 acres of land at Oljorai, 7 acres in Karen, 5 acres at Kitisuru and two plots in Kileleshwa.
He was also to own a house at Milimani estate in Nakuru sitting on a 3-acre land which formerly belonged to Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya and at least 5 units of three-bedroom houses at the government's affordable housing project in Bondeni.
However, what seemed like a lucrative deal quickly turned into a nightmare when it emerged that he had been conned.
The scheme, orchestrated by individuals posing as Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika and one of her liaison officers, preyed on unsuspecting investors like Mr Mwangi and his friend, former Nakuru Mayor Herman Nderi.
Mwangi, lured by the promise of substantial returns, fell victim to the scam after being persuaded by Mr Nderi, who himself had been deceived by the fraudulent scheme.
The deception was perpetrated with remarkable sophistication, with the fraudsters going to great lengths to create an illusion of authenticity.
They mimicked Governor Kihika's voice over the phone, produced counterfeit allotment letters, and even arranged fake meetings with government officials.
Under the guise of rewarding campaign supporters with discounted property, the fraudsters manipulated their victims into paying millions of shillings for non-existent public assets, including land in upscale estates and government-affordable housing units.
Mr Nderi was made to believe that the governor had decided to reward the people who helped her campaign during the 2022 general election.
The properties included 800 acres of land in Milimani estate as well as hundreds of acres of land in Oljorai, Karen, Kitusuru, Lavington, Kileleshwa and part of properties belonging to Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya.
In the scheme, an acre of land and Block 19 was selling for Sh500,000, in Oljorai, and other places were selling at Sh220 per acre, Sh500,000 for a unit of three-bedroomed affordable housing units at Bondeni.
"It was easy to accept the deal which was coming through a person we all believed was the governor. We could hear her voice on the phone and she appeared trustworthy.
Furthermore, she was speaking to the former mayor himself who was a friend," said Mwangi.
The businessman was issued with allotment letters for the properties and asked to submit them later at the county offices for processing title deeds at Sh21,000 each.
"I made part of the payment via a M-Pesa line which returned the name of Lucy Nyambura and a Co-operative Bank account," said Mr Mwangi.
According to the businessman, the purported liaison officer directed them to take the allotment letters to the county where someone was strategically positioned to receive them.
They were then asked to wait for President William Ruto to come and launch the affordable housing project.
But then a video emerged online of Governor Kihika cautioning members of the public against engaging in property transactions purportedly authorised by her.
"This is when I realised something was not right. It was around September when I accompanied other people who had also been conned to report to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations office in Nakuru,” Mwangi said.
As the extent of the scam unraveled, the victims who had lost millions of shillings were left grappling with financial and emotional distress.
Families who had acquired loans to finance their investments now faced grim financial prospects.
It was then that detectives started investigations leading to the arrest of one Lucy Nyambura Kibunja on Thursday.
During a raid by the police officers at the suspect's house in Barnabas estate unearthed photos she had taken with Governor Kihika and President Ruto.
Also recovered were pictures of the suspect with former the Speaker of Nakuru County Assembly Joel Kairu.
On Friday, Nyambura was charged with obtaining money under false pretenses on diverse dates between December 2, 2022 and December 15, 2023 with intent to defraud.
The court heard that the accused obtained Sh10,983000 from Mr Nderi by pretending to be in a position to sell affordable houses in Bondeni and parcels of land in Nakuru, Rongai and Lengenet.
The court was further told that Ms Nyambura had conned unsuspecting victims of at least Sh70million.
Ms Nyambura denied the charges before Nakuru Principal Magistrate Ruth Kepha who granted her a bond of Sh8million bond with a surety of a similar amount. The case set to be mentioned on March 28, 2024.
At the same time, lawyer Steve Kabita, representing 12 individuals who were defrauded of over Sh40 million, called on Governor Kihika to address the matter.
He urged authorities to expedite investigations and ensure all culprits are brought to justice.
"I want to urge the governor, who was mentioned extensively by the accused persons, to shed light on this matter," said Mr Kabita.
Mr Nderi's son, Kelvin Marine, said his father was approached in early 2023 by Ms Nyambura, who posed as Governor Kihika.
Mr Nderi, initially skeptical, was swayed by the promise of lucrative deals and purchased three acres of land in Milimani's Block 19 at Sh1million per acre.
Upon receiving what appeared to be genuine allotment letters, Mr Nderi shared the news with his children, relatives, and friends, who eagerly followed suit.
Another victim, who overheard discussions about the deal at Mr Nderi's home, also followed suit and her money in the purchase of multiple units of houses and parcels of land for a total of Sh6 million.
The victims, including Mr Mwangi, never met Ms Nyambura in person and only interacted with her purported liaison officer.
