๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐ Bold & Frank
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By SATURDAY NATION TEAM
Whatโs in a name? That has remained a rhetorical question since Shakespearean times, but in William Ruto, a number of people have found a way to make quick cash from others.
From fictitious tenders purportedly issued by the Deputy President’s office, non-existent trips to meet the DP, to promises of cash, Mr Rutoโs name continues to be a pivot for rip-offs.
Alarmed by the frequency of cases where gullible members of the public have been conned in his name, the DP has asked victims to lodge complaints with the police.
โThe DP is a public servant and access to him is absolutely free. In fact, it is every Kenyanโs right to see the DP. There have been cases of people allegedly asking for money to (enable them) to see him. That is criminal.
Any member of the public who has been conned should report to the police or the DPโs office,โ โMr Rutoโs press secretary Emmanuel Talam told the Saturday Nation on Friday.
Four incidents – two last month, one in October and another in August 2018 – are among the many cases of people using Mr Rutoโs name to con unsuspecting Kenyans. The DP is considered a generous man.
EXPENSIVE MEETING
Earlier this week, cunning individuals collected at least Sh483,000 from Isiolo County residents with the promise of facilitating a meeting with Mr Ruto in Nairobi.
Each gave Sh2,300 – Sh1,100 for a Ruto-branded T-shirt and Sh1,200 for transport.
They had been told that after meeting the DP on Monday, each would be given a Sh10,000 allowance. The deal sounded irresistible to many.
The group was to meet at a Isiolo hotel on Sunday, December 29, to plan for the trip that would begin on Monday at 4am.
The meeting took place; they paid the money and were to receive T-shirts on Monday morning before the journey began. But it was not to be.
Those who paid found themselves stranded, cheated and demanding answers.
The crowd waited for more than six hours before accepting that they had been conned.
One of the victims, David Muthamia, told the Saturday Nation that they were to see the DP to discuss the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report and plan on how to campaign for his 2022 presidential bid.
ELABORATE SCHEME
One Peter Mwangi, a businessman who runs an electronics shop in Isiolo Town, allegedly coordinated the scam.
โHe called and told me that one of my friends had presented my name for consideration. I could not resist an opportunity to meet the DP,โ Mr Muthamia said.
Ms Joyce Mwari, who borrowed Sh2,300 from a friend to pay for the trip, said Mr Mwangi kept saying that vehicles were being fuelled, to blindfold them.
Police have launched investigations into the matter after the furious victims reported the matter at Isiolo Police Station.
Isiolo County Criminal Investigations Officer Raphael Wawire told the Saturday Nation on phone that they were tracking down the suspect, โwhose current location is Nairobi.โ
On Monday, detectives grilled a woman who had been tasked with collecting money on behalf of Mr Mwangi for hours but later released her.
Details have emerged that some of the conned residents had been added to a WhatsApp group named Youths na Ruto Isiolo, which had a membership of 150. A third had left the group by Tuesday evening.
It was reported that Mr Mwangi had targeted 250 people from Meru, Turkana, Borana, Samburu and Somali communities.
Contacted by theย Saturday Nation, Mr Mwangi claimed that he had been contracted by a welfare group called Power to Mobilise Residents to register people from the county to meet Mr Ruto.
SUGOI GOODIES
He said that the chairperson of the group went missing after receiving hundreds of thousands of shillings from people.
โThe contributions were collected by one of the members and not me; we had even paid for buses,โ Mr Mwangi said on phone. He denied claims that he had conned residents.
A few days earlier, Kisii Deputy Governor Joash Maangi was on the spot over claims that he pocketed part of Sh4 million that the DP gave to be distributed to leaders from the region who had travelled to his Sugoi home on December 17.
The MPs in the delegation were Joash Nyamoko (North Mugirango), Shadrack Mose (Kitutu Masaba), Vincent Kemosi (West Mugirango) and Alpha Miruka (Bomachoge Chache).
โThis is not the first time he has done it. I wish the DP gave us the money directly,โ said an MP who sought anonymity.
But Mr Maangi dismissed the claims as baseless. โI did not do that. That is false,โ he said.
Each of the 13 constituencies in Kisii and Nyamira counties was represented by over 100 people selected by Mr Rutoโs pointmen in the region.
At least 10 school buses were hired at a cost of more than Sh150,000 to ferry the leaders, mostly youth.
FUNDS DIVERTED
Sources say that each of the participants was paid Sh2,600 after enjoying food and soft drinks.
It emerged last October that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission was investigating Fafi MP Abdikarim Osman Mohamed for the loss of more than Sh12 million that Mr Ruto helped raise towards the construction of a madrassa.
