Four suspects believed to be part of a wider cartel that has been swindling unsuspecting teachers millions of shillings in exchange for an employment offer from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have been arrested.
The four Japheth Kyalo Kioko, the mastermind of the fraud, Jeremiah Musyoka Talu who is the commission’s principal accountant, Lawrence Mutunga Mumo, who is an electronics engineer, and Nathaniel Kanyagia Jambuya were arrested following an investigation by DCI detectives.
Kyalo is a former TSC records management employee who was dismissed from the commission in 2014 over questionable integrity.
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DCI’s investigation follows an invite by TSC CEO Nancy Macharia who wrote to the DCI requesting an investigation into the syndicate.
According to Macharia’s letter, says DCI, fraudsters had opened several fake Facebook accounts in her name, and defrauded unsuspecting teachers millions of shillings, on the promise that she would offer them employment opportunities at a fee.
DCI says Musyoka has been accessinging the teachers' database where he obtains details of prospective teachers, who have made applications for teaching jobs.
He then shares the information with Mumo who uses the various fake Facebook accounts to convince their unsuspecting clients of their deal
“In order to convince the applicants that they are actually communicating with the CEO, they share with the applicant their personal information as captured in the database such as the schools where they had applied to teach and the subjects they have applied to cover,” DCI said.
According to DCI, these facts make the unsuspecting teacher convinced and end up parting with hundreds of thousands of shillings with the hope of securing a job.
DCI revealed that several teachers have fallen prey to the cartel’s antics.
“A primary school teacher reported to the county director of education in Bomet armed with a letter of posting and was posted to a school within the county, where a vacancy existed. It was later discovered that her employment letter was fake after she had rendered her services for almost one term,” DCI revealed.
In another incident the DCI says; “a teacher from Kisii travelled all the way to Thika and took up a teaching position at a secondary school. Later, it was discovered that he had not been hired procedurally after covering lessons for a whole month”.
Principals and Deputy Principals seeking prestigious schools and promotions respectively are also said to have been victimized by the cartel.
Teachers who have retired and are pursuing their retirement benefits are also said to have fallen prey.
DCI says many have been forced to part with a huge sum of money so that they can have their pension processed faster.
The syndicate is said to be working with key officials at the treasury department.
DCI now wants members of the public who have been victimized by the four to report to the Serious Investigation Unit department for the next course of action.
The four suspects were arraigned on Wednesday morning, where custodial orders were granted to hold them for 14 more days, as investigations continue.
