Eldoret Man
Impersonates GSU Officer Linked to President Ruto’s Family, Arrested for Job
Recruitment Scam
Police in Eldoret are investigating a bizarre
case involving a man who allegedly posed as a member of the elite General
Service Unit (GSU), claiming to be part of the security team attached to Sarah
Cheruiyot, President William Ruto’s mother.
The 34-year-old suspect is accused of
attempting to defraud a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer out of Ksh400,000
under the pretense of helping secure a job for the officer’s orphaned relative
during the upcoming Kenya Prison Service mass recruitment.
The incident unfolded in Eldoret town, where
the man was dramatically apprehended by the victim, with assistance from
concerned residents. He was later handed over to authorities at Eldoret Central
Police Station, where he remains in custody pending further investigation.
Elaborate
Deception Targeted Desperate Job Seekers
According to the military officer, the scheme
began when a mutual acquaintance—allegedly a police corporal—introduced him to
the suspect, vouching for his alleged connections to State House and top
security offices. Trusting the referral, the officer engaged with the suspect
in hopes of securing a job opportunity for his relative.
“He told me he had direct access to those in
charge of recruitment and that he could guarantee the position—for a fee of
course,” the officer said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the
matter.
But the scam began to unravel when the suspect
refused to produce official identification, raising red flags. “I showed him my
military ID, and he immediately became nervous,” the officer recounted. “He
tried to flee on a motorbike, but I intervened and blocked his escape.”
Suspect Now
in Custody, Assisting With Investigations
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations
(DCI) in Turbo Sub-County, through Officer Richard Okeri, confirmed the arrest
and revealed that the suspect is cooperating as detectives work to uncover the
full extent of the scheme, including whether more victims or accomplices are
involved.
Okeri emphasized that impersonation of law
enforcement personnel is a serious criminal offense, particularly when used to
exploit Kenyans under the guise of government employment opportunities.
A Growing
Concern Over Fraud in Recruitment Promises
This incident is the latest in a series of
scams exploiting the hopes of young Kenyans seeking employment through official
recruitment drives. Authorities have urged the public to be cautious and only
rely on information published through official government channels when
applying for public service jobs.
Anyone who may have interacted with the
suspect or believes they were similarly conned has been encouraged to report to
their nearest police station.
