A Kenyan single mother who had been setting money aside to start her own business is now unable to pay her bills after a man she dated allegedly made off with KSh 430,000 of her savings.
Elizabeth, whose real name has been withheld, says the man, identified only as Richard, presented himself as a genuine romantic partner before engineering a situation in which she handed over the funds.
How Kenyan man allegedly conned ex-girlfriend
According to Elizabeth, Richard approached her for a loan after realising she had accumulated a sizeable amount for her business plans.
He told her his SACCO did not hold enough shares to qualify him for the loan he needed to pursue a tender, and asked her to bridge the gap.
“He conned me 430k. He manipulated me into a relationship and when I was about to set up my business he asked for money for a tender, mara Sacco haina enough shares ndio apewe loan,” she said.
Richard disappeared with the money shortly afterwards. It was only recently that Elizabeth discovered he was living with another woman, who she says is also among his alleged victims.
She claims four women in total have been conned by the same man, collectively losing thousands of shillings.
A Year of Empty Promises
For roughly a year, Richard reportedly strung Elizabeth along with promises to repay her. He blocked her at some point, but after learning she had begun posting about him on social media, he reached out once more.
“He reached out recently claiming he’s sick and that I should wait he’ll pay me. I am so stressed, I am a single mum of two and I cannot even pay my bills,” Elizabeth said.
She shared screenshots of conversations in which Richard pleaded with her to remove the Facebook posts, citing his illness as a reason to give him more time.
Elizabeth has since posted about the matter on social media on several occasions, hoping to raise awareness and put pressure on Richard to return her money. She is also appealing to members of the public to share her posts widely.
“We are 4 ladies he’s conned thousands of shillings, I have posted him severally on my social media accounts. Please help me post him to raise awareness and hopefully get my money back,” she said.
