City Hall Detectives Arrest Suspect Operating Fake Facebook Account

City Hall detectives on Monday arrested a suspect believed to be extorting money from unsuspecting Kenyans, pretending to be working for the County’s Public Service Board. The suspect was on the verge of defrauding a Lamu County medical employee of Sh80,000 on pretense that he was able to help her get transferred to Nairobi. He is currently being held at the Central police station as investigations continue to identify other possible fraud related incidences by the suspect.

The detectives are also investigating if he is part of a syndicate that has been running pseudo accounts of Governor Mike Sonko. Head of Security and Compliance Tito Kilonzi revealed that the suspect had manufactured a fake job transfer letter and had demanded Sh80,000 to facilitate the plan. The letter dated October 29 is written to one Mercy Sheila Nekesa, a nurse in Lamu, notifying her of a successful transfer to Nairobi. “The letter is transferring Mercy Sheila Nekesa from the Lamu to Nairobi and it’s purported to have been written by the County Public Service Board,” Kilonzi said.

It took the discerning mind of her husband Lawrence Wabwire, who on Monday morning visited the board to verify the authenticity of the letter. Wabwire said he chose to visit the county because he had doubts over the deal. He had been asked by the wife to follow up on the issue and ensure the transfer is effected . “I received the letter from my wife who said there is someone who has promised to help her get the transfer and they had planned to meet on Monday,” said Wabwire. He called the suspect on Monday morning, requesting that they go to the Public Service Board but surprisingly, the suspect changed tact, demanding that officers at the board are strict and that they should meet at a hotel. Wabwire decided to visit the board without the suspect and was surprised to be told that the letter is fake.

Detectives were quickly marshalled and the suspect got arrested. According to Kilonzi, the detectives are still following up on more cases of fraud perpetrated by individuals purporting to be working for the county. He warned Kenyans against falling prey to individuals promising them jobs or job transfers. County Secretary Leboo Morintant said any job vacancies at the county will be advertised and successful applicants absorbed on merit.

“No one should be lied to by anyone out there that they can organise for employment or anything else related to the Public Service Board,” Leboo said. Sonko urged Kenyans to be more vigilant and report such theft to any police station. “This is just the beginning and more suspects will be arrested. I want to urge all Kenyans that they must be very keen,” he said. Residents have also been warned against sending any money to individuals operating fake Facebook accounts of Sonko.