An Eldoret court has authorized the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to hold two individuals associated with a fraudulent overseas job placement agency that has been deceiving numerous unsuspecting job seekers in Uasin Gishu County.
The suspects, Mary Ann Wanjiru Mungai and Margret Wanjiku Stephene, who were apprehended last Friday by investigators at their agency office in Eldoret town, following a complaint raised by another agency based in Nairobi that accused them of fabricating their documents, will be under detention for a period of 14 days.
In the process of requesting the extension of the respondents’ detention, the investigating officer, Police Constable Cyrus Oriosa, informed the court that these suspects were also connected to similar cases in other major towns across Rift Valley, Nairobi, and Nyanza.
Oriosa disclosed to Eldoret Chief Magistrate Dennis Mikoyan that the report against the two suspects had been submitted to Eldoret Central Police Station by the owner of a Nairobi-based company, whose documents were allegedly counterfeited by the respondents.
“I am investigating the offenses of impersonation and forgery of documents, which are contrary to Section 384 of the penal code, as well as obtaining money by false pretense, which is a violation of Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code,” stated Orioso in an affidavit.
He conveyed to the court that the complainant, Mary Nyokabi Gicheru, had reported to the station that she had been receiving several complaints from individuals asserting that they had paid money to her agency, Kerry Gold Agency in Eldoret, for the processing of visas and travel documents.
Detectives informed the court that their investigations led to the conclusion that the respondents were managing the fraudulent agency based in Eldoret, capitalizing on the aspirations of young Kenyans seeking overseas employment and educational opportunities.
In his plea for a 14-day detention of the suspects, the investigating officer told the court that he had yet to gather statements from the complainants and that the suspects posed a risk of fleeing and could potentially tamper with the ongoing investigations if granted bail.
“I believe there are other suspects yet to be arrested and the respondents in our custody will help us arrest other suspects after recording their statements,” explained the investigating officer to the court.
The respondents did not oppose the application for their detention. When asked by the investigating officer to comment on the application, they stated, “We are not objecting to the police’s application to detain us at the station for 14 days.”
