Last week Sabina Chege, the Murang’a Woman Representative shocked Kenyans when she gave an emotional narration on the floor of the House of how her personal details were being used to extort money from members of parliament through M-Pesa.
The police have now revealed the identity of the man behind the M-Pesa con scheme as 25-year-old Wazir Benson Masubo Chacha, a former Ministry of Devolution employee. Chacha is accused of using fake MPesa accounts to demand money from Members of Assembly and other VIPs. He is believed to be a friend to a former Member of Parliament (MP) where he got most of the MPs’ contacts.
Our sister publication, The Nairobian, did a story on February 9, 2018, about Chacha who openly revealed a love relationship with former Bomet County Woman Representative, Dr Cecilia Ng’etich. He claims he fell in love with 54-year old ex-MP Ng’etich only to be left bruised, cold and lonely on Valentine’s Day. “She dumped me on Valentine’s Day. I was to accompany her to South Africa on that day, only for her to tell me that the relationship was over,” he says.
Police are now looking for Mr Chacha, for questioning over registration of a fake MPesa account using the details of Sabina Chege. The suspect has gone into hiding Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) George Kinoti said Chacha has been linked to four other cases of fraud and they want him to surrender himself for questioning.
“He used an ID number of a former MP to register an MPesa account in the name of Sabina Wanjiku Chege. He did this in Donholm and we have all the details,” said Kinoti.
Kinoti said the issue is being given the needed attention and that efforts to get Chacha are ongoing. False claims that Sabina Chege is in hospital It is alleged that after Chacha had registered the number to indicate it belonged to Chege, he sent distress messages in her name to a number of VIPs seeking funds. The messages claimed that Sabina was in hospital and needs money urgently. At least four MPs including Speaker of National Assembly Justin Muturi sent money to the number thinking it was Chege who was in need.
Chege emotionally recounted before the National Assembly Committee on Security and National Administration how the man impersonated her and sent messages to three Cabinet Secretaries and legislators at night saying she needed cash urgently. “Those who sent the money saw that the M-Pesa number had been registered under Sabina Wanjiku Chege. That is why they did not suspect anything. It wasn’t until former MP Jakoyo Midiwo asked me about it the following day that I learnt of it. Many other people had been sent the same message,” Ms Chege said.
Read more at Standard News website
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