Five arrested for conning woman Ksh.742K in fake Bamburi Cement online purchase

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the incident dated back to August 2025, when the victim sought to purchase 1,400 bags of cement for a family construction project in Ruiru and found a website purporting to represent Bamburi Cement PLC.

She contacted the number provided on the website and was directed to WhatsApp to continue negotiations.

The victim received an invoice demanding Ksh.742,000 and was instructed to pay the full amount through RTGS to a local bank account.

DCI revealed that the complainant transferred the amount on August 23, 2025, expecting the delivery of the cement. To her surprise, the consignment never materialised as efforts to reach the alleged supplier proved futile

She contacted the legitimate Bamburi Cement PLC, which informed her that they did not know of the transaction. This prompted her to report the matter to the police.

Investigations established that the website, telephone number and invoice used in the transaction were fraudulent and had no authorisation or affiliation with Bamburi Cement PLC.

Further financial investigations traced the stolen funds from a bank account operated by Florence Atieno Okoth to another account operated by Emmanuel Wekesa, alias Brian Mulumba. The money was subsequently withdrawn through ATM transactions in Kitengela Town.

Following an intelligence-led operation conducted in Uasin Gishu and Nairobi counties, detectives arrested five suspects identified as Okoth, Dickson Alalwa Mabati, Kevin Ongaya Were, Kelvin Kibet Keter and Emmanuel Wekesa, alias Brian Mulumba.

The five have since been arraigned in court and charged accordingly.

"The DCI cautions members of the public against falling prey to online shopping scams and urges prospective buyers to verify the authenticity of websites, sellers, payment details and business transactions before committing their money."