Kenyan TikToker Wangare Kamunge, also known as Rish Kamunge, has been released on a Ksh5 million personal bond.
Rish, who was arraigned in court for running a fake job scheme targeting Kenyans seeking employment in Mauritius, was granted bond after the court denied the prosecution’s request to detain her for seven days.
In a statement on Friday, March 28, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revealed that Rish, the director of Trustpine Travel Agency, received payments ranging from Sh200,000 to Sh400,000 from victims hoping to secure non-existent jobs in Mauritius.
“Victims reported paying between Sh200,000 and Sh400,000 for job placement, only to discover that the promised opportunities were nonexistent,” the DCI stated.
According to detectives, some victims travelled to Mauritius, only to find themselves stranded at the airport without assistance and were ultimately deported back to Kenya.
The DCI stated that Rish admitted to receiving a total of Ksh12.9 million from 43 victims.
She appeared in court for custodial orders and was subsequently remanded at Capital Hill Police Station.
Detectives have also urged other Kenyans who may have fallen victim to the scam to report the matter at the Central Police Station in Nairobi.
On Thursday, March 27, hundreds of Kenyans raided the offices of her job agency in Nairobi to claim back millions they paid for jobs abroad.
The angry Kenyans who protested at the offices demanded refunds, claiming that some of them were promised jobs and travelled 3,100 kilometres to Mauritius only to find no jobs.
The victims of the scam claim they found the job agency through advertisements online. One of the victims revealed that she paid Ksh225,000.
“I first paid Ksh80,000 as a down payment, and then I added Ksh145,000 for flight tickets,” recounted Faith Nasimiyu, a trained driver and a carer.
