There are many challenges that encompass the dreaded prison life. Inside the confines of the prison lay the shattered dreams of inmates as most have little or no hope of stepping out of the four walls.
In the case of Sylvia Wanjiku, a business deal suddenly turned sour led to her being sentenced to serve a three-year jail term.
Speaking on NjerainīCitū, Wanjiku detailed how the thought of landing in jail never crossed her mind.
At the time, she lived in Naivasha, Nakuru county with her three children; a form four student, a class eight student and a toddler.
Wanjiku engaged in online business- selling dairy animals and products. She would post the pictures of the dairy animals on her social media, which would gain traction and attract customers. She narrated how she would draw clients from different counties, which led to a booming business.
"When people spotted the animals, they made calls and the business picked up. I began receiving calls from neighbouring countries such as Uganda," she highlighted.
On one particular day, Wanjiku posted a picture of three dairy cows, whose total cost amounted to Ksh210,000. She beamed with glee after a client immediately called her interesting in buying the three cows. Little did she know that the business deal would later backfire.
According to Wanjiku, the buyer indicated that he would pay the amount in tranches- a plea which she did not decline.
The convict narrated that she pressed the buyer from time to time in order to constantly pay the amount before handing over the three cows. The client assured Wanjiku that they would take a loan to clear the payment.
However, things turned sour when the buyer tried to call Wanjiku but her phone had gone off. Sensing that he might have been duped, the client kept calling for four consecutive days to no avail. At the time, the buyer had paid Wanjiku Ksh46,000.
In her defense, Wanjiku intimated that she was on a business trip to Mombasa and her phone lost signal, making here unreachable. She pointed out that after leaving Mombasa, she found a number of detectives already awaiting her arrival in Nairobi.
After numerous attempts to give her side of the story, Wanjiku pointed out that the evidence implicated her as a con. She was arraigned in court, and was handed a three-year sentence at Naivasha Women's prison. She was also given an alternative to pay Ksh100,000 to the client, as compensation cost- which she noted was too high for her to raise.
Ever since, Wanjiku noted that her eldest son dropped out of school, vowing not to resume schooling until his mother was released from jail.
During the interview, a teary Wanjiku gave a passionate message to her children as well as apologized to the client for any wrongdoing.
"To my children, I urge all you to go back to school as education is life. Also remember my teachings and live in a respectable manner. If God allows, we will meet again soon," she pleaded.
