The Ethics and Anti-Corruption (EACC) detectives Friday, 14 July 2023, arrested two women who have been impersonating police officers while extorting traders in Kakamega.
They operated a private entity called Multi-Agency Works and Rights Enforcement, which has allegedly been presenting itself to the public as a law enforcement body, and undertaking various law enforcement functions.
The functions include criminal investigations, arrests, and inspection of stock in shops to verify compliance with standards and expiry dates, business operating licenses, and tax compliance by traders.
Following its routine inspection of businesses in Kakamega County, the entity has, allegedly, been confiscating goods and demanding bribes ranging from Sh20,000 to Sh50,000 from the traders in order to release the goods back to them and forbear charging them in court.
The suspects were arrested after they demanded a bribe of Sh50,000 from a trader in order to return goods they had impounded from the complainant’s Mini Supermarket in Khayega Shopping Centre, Shinyalu Constituency, Kakamega Town.
Prior to the intervention by EACC, the suspects had “arrested’’ the Mini Supermarket’s attendant and impounded goods that they said had not met the standards prescribed by law.
They introduced themselves as being part of the Kakamega County Multi-Agency Team which comprises various law enforcement agencies including the EACC, DCI, Police, and KRA).
They purported to be based at Khayega Police Station, officials said.
EACC Bungoma detectives mounted an operation leading to the arrest of the suspects while receiving the money from the complainant.
They were escorted to Khayega Police Station where they were detained pending further processing on Monday.
EACC head of corporate affairs and communication Eric Ngumbi said that EACC has noted an upsurge in the cases of fraudsters impersonating officials of EACC and other law enforcement agencies, and extorting money from the public purporting that they are investigating them.
“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 perceived trouble, including corruption allegations.”
“EACC clarifies that in the discharge of its mandate, there is no room for perverting the course of justice through bribery or any other way and as such, any person asking for a bribe in order to help a suspect by skewing investigations is not an EACC officer and should thus be reported for immediate arrest to be dealt with in accordance with the law,” Ngumbi said.
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