Members of Ekeza Sacco Camp Outside Bishop David Ngari 'Gakuyo' Church to Demand Back their Cash

A section of Ekeza Sacco members are up in arms over the society's refusal to let them withdraw their savings.

The irate members say that they made applications for withdrawal of their funds in 2017 but have not been allowed to do so more than two years later.

They say they made requests for withdrawal after speculations that the Sacco was on the verge of collapse due to fraud.

On Sunday, the group pitched tent outside Calvary Chosen Center in an attempt to get answers from the society's owner Bishop David Ngari alias Gakuyo.

However, after the church service, Gakuyo hurriedly left the scene in an unmarked vehicle without addressing them.

Some of them claim the clergyman, who was part of United for Kiambu group that was seeking to oust former Governor William Kabogo from power, used their cash to fund the 2017 elections campaign.

The movement, under the stewardship of Ferdinand Waititu, won the seat on a Jubilee party ticket.

“We saved our money on promises of many benefits including getting a piece of land at a relatively cheaper price,” says a member Bernard Irungu, who has saved close to 300,000 with Ekeza.

“I made the withdrawal request in January 2017 and was told to wait for 60 working days. But up to now, they haven’t released the money."

Another member, George Njuguna with Sh282,000 in savings, says he cannot pay school fees because the funds are held up.

“I joined the Sacco because Ngari is a man of God and I felt that my money would be safe,” Njuguna says.

Robert Mathenge, a boda-boda operator who has saved Sh95,000, says he was promised land by the Gakuyo Real Estate, a firm owned by Ngari.

 “I didn’t get the land and now they’ve withheld my savings. This is a big injustice,” Mathenge says.

Contacted for a comment, Ngari has promised to issue a comprehensive statement to the press on the matter.

Last year, the Sacco was placed under liquidation by Commissioner for Cooperatives Mary Mungai. Ms. Mungai picked two liquidators to run its operations pending investigations into its funds' management.

The decision came after numerous complaints that the society had reneged on an earlier promise to help members acquire parcels of land and build houses.

Ekeza Sacco has a membership of 85,000 with 5,000 of them being Kenyans in the diaspora. It has 26 branches across the country and Sh2.56 billion in deposits.