Jonah Kariuki, father of Boniface Kariuki, the 22-year-old hawker shot during the Tuesday, June 17, protests in Nairobi, has fallen victim to a scam that cost him KSh 200,000.

Eric Omondi visited the family's humble home, and rallied Kenyans to contribute money for them.

According to the family’s spokesperson, Emily Wanjiru, individuals pretending to be officials from the Social Health Authority (SHA) contacted Jonah, claiming they could assist in settling his son’s hospital bills.

The fraudsters told Jonah that they needed to register the family under the SHA program to unlock financial aid for medical costs.

As part of the fake process, they demanded a small registration fee and persuaded him to share his personal information, including his M-Pesa PIN. Unfortunately, once they gained access, they proceeded to withdraw KSh 200,000 from his account.

In an interview with Kenyans, Jonah confirmed the incident, saying that the scammers initially asked for KSh 20,500.

However, in the confusion of the transaction, he mistakenly keyed in KSh 200,500.

“Yes, they conned me. I meant to send KSh 20,500, but I typed in KSh 200,500 by mistake,” he explained.

Jonah said his efforts to reverse the transaction or trace the culprits have so far been unsuccessful, as their phones were switched off and the M-Pesa confirmation message had already been deleted from his device.

Kenyans on social media reacted by saying:

Joshua Mwendwa:

“I don't think this guy could give his M-Pesa PIN.”

Nash Kydo:

“That story has been well choreographed. We're now just waiting for the paybill.”

Akinyi Nyar Ocholla:

“He gave out his PIN? Something’s not adding up.”

Betty Kana:

“Safaricom has been singing about ‘your PIN is your secret’ song, but people are still sharing it.”

Feston Mike:

“No opportunity to be wasted, deal is a deal, but why want to finish this Mzee completely?”

Cathrin Wanjuguna:

“Woiiii maybe he was confused.”

Wambui Muchina:

“What does an M-Pesa PIN have to do with SHA registration? Give us a break.”

Leah Akinyi:

“M-Pesa is private. Why did he share it?”

In other news, Klinzy Barasa, the police officer accused of shooting Boniface, was active on social media, often posting photos in uniform.

On Instagram, he had around 1,000 followers, and TUKO.co.ke compiled his photos.

His relationship status remains unclear, although he posted photos with women in the past. After the shooting incident, Kenyans flooded his posts with angry comments.

Barasa deactivated his TikTok page due to the backlash, but Kenyans had saved some clips. One viral clip showed him smoking, sparking speculation, though it appeared to be a playful moment.

Source: TUKO.co.ke