Two suspected criminals arrested by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in Mombasa on Tuesday are set to be charged before the Mombasa Chief Magistrate’s Court this morning at 9:00 am.
The suspects, identified as Tabitha Wangeci Kwenya and Wycliffe Nyamanyan, were apprehended for raiding and extorting shop owners while posing as law enforcement officers.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Kwenya and Nyamanyan are part of a five-member gang linked to a fraudulent private entity known as Multi-Works & Rights Enforcements.
This group has been misrepresenting itself as a legitimate law enforcement agency with the authority to enforce consumer protection laws.
They allegedly deceived the National Police Service into providing them with uniformed officers to accompany their operations, which included fake crackdowns on the alleged sale of expired or counterfeit goods across various business premises in the country.
The fake agency reportedly used a Notice published in the Kenya Gazette to grant itself powers that it does not possess.
The organization, run by Edward Olang, the alleged mastermind behind the scheme, has been active in several counties, including Kakamega, Kisumu, Meru, and Voi, prior to their activities in Mombasa.
The Commission acted on complaints regarding suspicious individuals inspecting shops in the Bamburi area, leading to the arrests on Tuesday evening.
These suspects were accused of detaining shop owners at Kadzandani Mwatamba Police Station and compelling them to pay bribes ranging from Sh 20,000 to Sh 50,000 to avoid penalties and secure the release of their confiscated goods.
Following their arrest, Kwenya and Nyamanyan were held at Mombasa Central Police Station and appeared before the Mombasa Anti-Corruption Court on Wednesday, where custodial orders were issued.
They are scheduled to return to court this morning to enter their pleas.
The EACC is actively pursuing three more suspects who fled during the operation.
Members of the public with any information regarding the suspects or their accomplices are encouraged to contact the EACC via Toll-Free No. 1551 or through the email address: eaccmombasa@integrity.go.ke.
Both the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and the Anti-Corruption Authority (ACA) have previously issued Public Notices to alert citizens about the fraudulent activities of this group.
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