Suspected criminals arrested in Mombasa over extortion plead not guilty to charges
11:10:2024: Two suspected criminals arrested by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in Mombasa on Tuesday, 8th October 2024, for raiding and extorting shop owners while accompanied by police officers have pleaded not guilty to impersonation charges at Mombasa law courts today.
Investigations established that Tabitha Wangeci Kwena and Wycliffe Nyamanya are part of a five-member gang of fraudsters working for a private entity called Multi-Works and Rights. The private entity has falsely styled itself as a law enforcement body with powers to enforce consumer protection laws. It has also duped the National Police Service into assigning its members uniformed police officers whenever they conducted illegal raids and arrests during fake crackdowns on shops, supermarkets, and other business premises for counterfeit goods.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards and the Anti-Counterfeit Agency have issued several public notices warning Kenyans against falling victim to the operations of fake and fraudulent agencies. Before raiding businesses in Mombasa, the suspects reportedly engaged in similar illegal activities in Kakamega, Kisumu, Meru, and Voi.
In duping the police into assigning armed officers to escort them during shop raids across the country, the suspected criminals rely on a Notice published by the fake agency in the Kenya Gazette assigning itself powers and authority to enforce consumer protection laws.
Multi-Works and Rights is comprised of ordinary private citizens and is run by Edward Olang, the suspected mastermind and national coordinator of the fraudulent scheme.
EACC arrested the suspects upon receiving complaints that five suspicious individuals accompanied by uniformed police officers were inspecting goods in shops in the Bamburi area, where they arrested, detained, and extorted shop owners for allegedly stocking expired goods. They detained their unsuspecting victims at Kadzandani Police Station and demanded bribes ranging between Kes20,000 and Kes50,000 before they could release them.
They were arraigned today for impersonation before Hon. Odhiambo where they pleaded not guilty. The Court released them on a bond of Kes100,000 or cash bail of Kes200,000. The case will be mentioned on October 29, 2024
