- Rift Valley senator swindled KSh 200,000 by a Kitui-based conman.
- The politician was promised a shortcut to having access roads tarmacked.
- The conman posed as a government road “insider” at a Nairobi hotel.
- Senator paid to “mobilise” contractors, only to be ghosted immediately after.
- The scam has become a running joke among fellow lawmakers.
A senator from the Rift Valley is making headlines for all the wrong reasons after being tricked in broad daylight by a clever conman pretending to be a roads department insider. The embarrassing incident unfolded recently in a Nairobi hotel where the lawmaker was chatting about frustrations over access roads to his rural home.
Unbeknownst to the senator, a man within earshot was listening keenly. Moments later, the same man approached him outside, introduced himself as someone with influence at the Ministry of Roads, and claimed he could help “fix” the senator’s issue quickly at a cost.
The senator, hoping to finally sort the road issue, quickly fell for the plan. He sent KSh 200,000 to the man, believing it would speed up contractor mobilisation and clear bureaucratic hurdles. The promise? A fresh tarmac led right to his compound.
Soon after the money hit the conman’s mobile wallet, he pulled a classic Nairobi trick—cashed out at a nearby MPESA agent, switched off his phone, and disappeared without a trace. That was the last the senator saw or heard from him.
Upon realising he’d been scammed, the senator alerted the police. Investigators have since launched a manhunt for the elusive conman, who is believed to be part of a larger fraud ring that targets unsuspecting VIPs.
While the senator tries to recover his lost cash, the halls of Parliament are abuzz with murmurs and inside jokes. Sources say some MPs can’t help but chuckle at their colleague’s misfortune, though behind the laughter is concern about how easily even the powerful can be duped.
“Even the mighty stumble when sweet words mix with urgency and trust,” one MP jokingly whispered during a closed-door session.
