By Silas Nyanchwani
Last year or was it late 2016, a close friend, a drinking buddy conned me Sh 120,000. I can’t disclose the nature of the transaction, but I was a bit foolish. Actually extremely foolish.
I had my doubts but I decided that it is better to risk, than to regret. It was a stupid decision. And to think I rate myself favourably as smart.
Lately, I’m running into guys claiming they have been conned by their former schoolmates. Mostly it has to do with the bribes for tenders and jobs. Neither party is innocent, but being Kenya and Africa, I try to understand why we bribe to get a job. That Darwinian nonsense about the fittest and survival.
Speaking of former classmates, sometime in 2006, I came to the HELB offices at Anniversary Towers to follow up with loan ahead of joining campus.
While there, I saw a former schoolmate who was in form 4, while I was in form 1. He used to be the top piri. Not a bad a guy.
I still reeked of the village rustiness. He decided to help me with checking of the loan and all that and showed me his way around town. He decided to buy me lunch.
We walked down Loita St, not too far from Annivessary Towers and got to this joint that was really good back in the day and where I would my literary uncle Tony Ontita writing his poetry. The joint was called Fridays, a good joint.
So, my friend bought me the lunch and all. But when the time to pay came, he left saying he will go withdraw the money, and come and pay. I didn’t bother because, one, he was my senior, and used to be a good guy.
He did come back, only to tell me the ATM had expired or something, to the effect he could access his money. Earlier, he had asked me if I had any cash on me and I think I had some Sh 2,000. I paid for the food, which was like Sh 400 a plate (about Sh 1,200 in today’s money, he he he).
He tried to fleece me and I was a bit skeptical.
He didn’t succeed. I think we even went to my newly opened account but it had nothing. Narrating to former classmates about my experience with the former top cop at school, told me I was lucky to have survived, he would have conned me everything.
I have probably told you this story before and I forget the details.
Long story short: Have you ever been conned by a friend or a family member. What was the experience like? To Start us off a close friend was conned more than 700k by a close comrade in pretext that he will push through a tender at the mi9inistry where he works as an aide of a minister (CS), well, he is bitter BUT hopes God will avenge sooner than later…
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