Detectives have dismantled a multi-million shilling fraud network operating within the heart of Bomet County.
The operation, a coordinated effort between the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), has exposed a betrayal of public trust that reportedly siphoned more than Sh40 million from desperate job seekers.
The scheme was as sophisticated as it was cruel. The architects of the fraud targeted qualified but unemployed teachers, dangling the elusive promise of permanent and pensionable employment.
To make the deception seamless, the suspects issued high-quality forged appointment letters, complete with official-looking stamps and signatures.
For many victims, these papers represented a lifeline, a way to finally secure their future, leading them to take out predatory loans, sell family land, or exhaust their life savings to pay the “facilitation fees” demanded by the ring.
The arrests have sent shockwaves through the local community due to the prominence of the individuals involved.
Among those taken into custody is David Kemei, the TSC Director for Konoin Sub-County, whose position of authority allegedly provided the necessary cover for the scam.
He was arrested alongside Rosebella Chepkemoi Korir, a well-known local figure and former aspirant for the Bomet County Woman Representative seat, and two teachers, Leonard Siele Towett and Mercy Cherotich, who are believed to have acted as the syndicate’s primary recruiters.
During their arraignment at the Bomet Law Courts, the gravity of the case became clear as detectives were granted 14 days to hold the suspects.
This window is crucial for investigators as they attempt to map out a network they believe extends far beyond Bomet’s borders, reaching into the neighboring counties of Kericho, Narok, Kisii, and Nyamira.
As the probe widens, the DCI has issued a stern reminder to the public: the path to a classroom should never be paved with bribes.
The TSC maintains a transparent, fee-free recruitment process, and authorities are urging anyone who may have fallen victim to this “job-selling” syndicate to come forward.
