Man Loses Over Ksh.287,000 to Conmen Posing as Social Health Authority Officials

Jacob Makunyi’s life took an unexpected turn when what appeared to be a normal day ended with the loss of nearly all his savings. He had been approached by people who claimed to be government officials conducting registration for the Social Health Authority, commonly known as SHA.

Trusting their words and the sense of official duty they carried, Makunyi handed them his phone to help with the supposed registration process.

What followed was a devastating series of events that left his bank account empty and his confidence in humanity shaken.

According to Makunyi, the incident happened near Marimanti Polytechnic where he met individuals in a white Prado who claimed they were sent by the government to register residents for SHA.

They appeared organized, professional, and convincing, carrying what seemed like official documents. He did not sense any danger at first.

The group explained the registration process and told him it would only take a few minutes to complete once they accessed his phone.

Without hesitation, he handed over his phone believing they were helping him join the new government health program.

Moments later, the fraudsters had already taken control of his mobile money account. They changed his PIN, swapped his SIM card, and within minutes transferred all his funds.

Makunyi only realized something was wrong later when he attempted to withdraw money for his daily expenses but was informed that his account had been compromised.

He was shocked to learn that not only had his balance been cleared, but loans and salary advances had also been taken out in his name. What had started as a simple act of cooperation had turned into a financial nightmare.

“I gave them my phone thinking they were helping me register,” he said, still struggling to come to terms with the incident. “When I tried to access my money, I found that everything had been taken. They even went ahead to apply for loans using my details.” The fraudsters withdrew amounts in stages, beginning with Ksh.70,000, followed by Ksh.60,000, and later smaller amounts until his account was completely drained.

When he checked the balance, only Ksh.3.45 remained.Weeks later, the police managed to trace and arrest four suspects believed to have been part of the scheme.

Identified as Peter Muriithi, Catherine Kinyua, Lilian Njeri, and Samuel Mbuthia, the group was taken into custody and investigations are ongoing.

Makunyi was contacted by the police and went to Marimanti Police Station where he identified the suspects.

The arrests gave him a glimmer of hope that justice might finally be served and that he could one day recover what he lost.

Today, Makunyi remains cautious whenever approached by anyone claiming to represent a government agency.

His experience serves as a reminder of how easily trust can be exploited and how quickly technology can be turned into a tool for crime.

As he awaits the suspects’ court appearance, he hopes that authorities will not only bring them to justice but also tighten measures to protect other innocent Kenyans from falling victim to similar scams.