5,000 turn out for Ekeza Sacco fraud probe

Detectives collecting evidence on the Sh1 billion theft at Ekeza Sacco were Monday forced to cancel the session after being overwhelmed by the fraud complaints.

The uncontrollable crowd of about 15,000 members of the troubled savings and credit cooperative society (sacco) blocked Kiambu Road at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters to protest the slow pace of the exercise.

The DCI told Gakuyo Real Estate, Ekeza Sacco and Gakuyo Investment Club members from Nairobi that they will be contacted at a later date. Individual members were required to write their names on a form titled “Investment Fraud-Ekeza Sacco.” This prompted protests, prompting the police to lob teargas at the irate Ekeza Sacco members.

Last week, the DCI scheduled sessions Monday with Nairobi and Kiambu residents with fraud complaints against Gakuyo Real Estate, Ekeza Sacco and Gakuyo Investment Club.

The three organisations are associated with controversial televangelist David Kariuki Ngare, popularly known as Gakuyo.

The complainants were to report to the DCI headquarters at 9 a.m. with the documents supporting claims of dealings.

"Carry with you bank statements showing withdrawal and deposit agreements, deposit slips, receipts and any other document relevant to the dealings," John Kariuki said in the statement, on behalf of DCI boss George Kinoti.

Mr Kariuki said a date will be set for residents of other counties to go to the DCI with their complaints.

Gakuyo is accused of siphoning more than Sh1 billion belonging to 78,000 members, mostly peasants, of Ekeza Sacco.

He is said to have started an investors’ club at Gakuyo Real Estate, where he and his wife Hannah Wachu are co-directors, and asked Kenyans to invest their money to help the company run the business and in return reap a two per cent monthly interest.

The preacher allegedly used the money to upgrade his lifestyle by buying prime properties for his family and boosting his struggling real estate firm.