Police officers in Murang'a have established a scheme in which are a group of fraudsters have been defrauding women from the region.
The police revealed that the group of four individuals - three men and a woman - have been defrauding the women using Deputy President William Ruto's name.
Residents from the area also claim that there have been individuals going around asking women, mostly from the Kiharu constituency, to register with Ksh630 so that DP Ruto's wife, Rachel Ruto would provide Christmas gifts during her visit to the region on December 24.
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They said that fraudsters promised them that Rachael will gift them various gifts including wheat and maize flour, cooking oil, rice and juice worth Ksh 10,000 during her visit.
Margaret Njambi, a leader of one of the women groups with 160 members said members of her group paid a total of Ksh100,800 so that they would be beneficiaries of Rachael Ruto's goodies.
"The Deputy President frequently visit Murang'a County. He even addressed us in Kamahuha. If he came to our village, his wife will too," Njambi told a local daily.
Njambi said that she realised that they had fallen victims to a fraudulent scheme after they heard the police were investigating a fraud case in the area.
DP Ruto's office has since distanced itself from the scheme calling to the police to investigate the matter and the fraudsters are brought to the book.
"There is nothing like that (Christmas gifts from Rachael). Those fraudsters should be reported to police," Ruto's Communication Director Emmanuel Talam told a publication.
Central Regional Coordination Wilfred Nyagwanga said that there are at least 1,500 women who have fallen victims to the fraud and the fraudsters have collected around Ksh945,000 from them.
Area Mendeleo ya Wanawake Organization chairperson Lucy Nyambura revealed that the racket has gone unnoticed for a very long time since the victims treated the matter as an issue of secrecy.
Nyambura said that the women have refused to open up about the matter since they are afraid to be victimized by their husbands.
Following the incident, Murang'a South Police Boss Alexander Shikondi revealed that they have launched a hunt for the fraudsters as he calls on victims to come out and record statements.
"It is a crime to collect money from people promising benefits they will not get. It is also an offence to take part in such a act. We are determined to know those who were involved in the plot," Shikondi said.
