Eldoret Town: Home of Scandals and Fraudsters?

Eldoret town, known as the "home of champions" and the headquarters of Uasin Gishu County, is now being associated with financial fraud.

There is widespread chaos in the region due to several scandals, including fraudulent real estate transactions and fake gold trades that are plaguing the region. Recently, the town has been in the spotlight for a notorious job scam in Qatar facilitated by First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy Agency, as well as education fraud in Finland and Canada which was orchestrated by the local county administration. Fake gold scams have also been prevalent in the area for some time allegedly involving celebrities.

There are multiple ongoing court cases, including one where a former high-ranking police officer fell victim to a fraudster who promised to connect him with gold traders. According to reports, the officer, Mr. Yano, lost his three title deeds after supposedly using them as security for a loan to invest in the gold industry. Authorities have since arrested the suspect in connection with the case and they will appear in court for trial on 12th September.

This is not an isolated incident, as there are many cases of collusion between suspects and politicians in the region. Even the powerful have fallen victim to the gold scam. For example, Saleh Osage Madjebe and Cornelius Kigen Kiprop were recently sentenced to 18 months in jail for dealing in fake gold. Currently, three individuals are facing charges for defrauding an MCA from Nandi County Assembly of Sh800,000 by pretending to sell him Sh5 million worth of gold. The scammers often use international dialling codes to deceive their targets.

In Eldoret town, there are individuals known as dealers who live luxurious lifestyles and can afford high-end lawyers to represent them. These dealers are said to operate mainly in the Eastleigh area and posh hotels. It is believed that many of these dealers have the repute of being untouchable because of their connections. There's also a scourge of deceitful property brokers who commission counterfeit land deeds in Moiben and Turbo sub-counties. Well-known property dealer, Thomas Kering, is currently in Eldoret Prison for forging title deeds and deceiving people in property transactions.