Two women have been apprehended by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) officers for reportedly posing as law enforcement officials and extorting business people in Kakamega County.
According to reports, Ruth Kaimuri and Tabitha Kwena Wangeci, who were arrested on Friday, are the owners of the Multi-Agency Works and Rights Enforcement, a sham private company.
According to the anti-graft agency, the organization presents itself to the public as a law enforcement agency that conducts criminal investigations, makes arrests, and inspects store inventory to ensure compliance with standards and expiration dates, has company operating licenses, and that traders are paying their taxes.
The suspects, EACC said, faked the arrest of a mini-market attendant working at the Khayega Shopping Center in the Shinyalu Constituency and seized goods they claimed did not adhere to legal requirements.
The two claimed to be employed by the Khayega Police Station and to be members of the wider Kakamega County Multi-Agency Team, which consists of a number of law enforcement organizations, including the EACC, DCI, Police, and the KRA.
The two were apprehended in Bungoma when they asked the trader for a Ksh50,000 payment in exchange for returning the products.
They are being held at Khayega Police Station pending arraignment on Monday.
“It is sad and regrettable that many Kenyans have fallen prey to impersonators who have extorted huge amounts of money from them partly due to the readiness of the victims to bribe their way out of corruption allegations,” EACC’s Head of Corporate Affairs and Communication Eric Ngumbi said.
“Any person asking for a bribe in order to provide help by skewing investigations is not an EACC officer and should thus be reported for immediate arrest to be dealt with according to the law.”
