Four Arrested in Tharaka Nithi for Posing as Social Health Authority Officials and Defrauding Man of KSh 251,000

 

By Sheila Keter 

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested four suspects accused of defrauding a man of KSh 251,000 while masquerading as officials from the Social Health Authority (SHA) in Marimanti, Tharaka Nithi County.

The suspects — Peter Muriithi, Catherine Kinyua, Lilian Njeri, and Samuel Mbuthia — allegedly approached the victim claiming they were conducting official SHA registration exercises. According to investigators, the suspects asked the victim to surrender his mobile phone, purportedly to “complete the registration process.” Shortly afterward, the victim discovered that money had been withdrawn from his account and transferred to mobile numbers linked to the suspects.

During the arrest operation, detectives recovered SHA-branded T-shirts, forged identification cards, membership forms, several SIM cards, and a Toyota Prado (registration number KDP 267C) believed to have been used by the suspects. Another number plate, KDS 399C, was found inside the vehicle, raising suspicions that it may have been used in other criminal activities.

Confirming the incident, Tharaka Nithi County DCI Commander Peter Njoroge commended members of the public for alerting police to the group’s suspicious activities.

“We want to warn members of the public to be extremely careful and verify the identity of anyone claiming to be from government institutions,” said Commander Njoroge. “Genuine officers will always produce official identification and will never ask for your personal phones or financial details.”

The four suspects are currently being held at Marimanti Police Station pending arraignment.

In a separate case, five individuals, including directors of a private clinic in Oyugis, have been charged in Nairobi for attempting to defraud the Social Health Authority of KSh 17.5 million through falsified medical claims. The arrests are part of ongoing investigations by the DCI into rising cases of fraud targeting Kenya’s health sector.