Eldoret Forex scam: Victims protest failure to arrest mastermind as police maintain probe still on

Eldoret residents who lost their money in the Springmark Investment saga on Monday poured onto the streets of Eldoret town to protest what they termed as police indifference in prosecuting the matter.

The residents who marched to the county commander's office sought to know why police are yet to apprehend the suspect despite numerous complaints and police reports filed by the victims.

The victims accuse the police of colluding with the suspect to deny them justice 

“Kile tunaomba ni serikali itusaidie tupate pesa zetu. Tunahangaika tukija mahali hapa tuki file wanatupea tu ob wakisema wanamtafuta,” said Emily Wanjala, a victim of the scam.

Benjamin Mwanthi, the county police commander assured that they are probing the matter, saying, “nataka kuonya watu ya uasin gishu, when the deal is too good think twice but pia nataka kuwahakikishia your case is in good hands itachunguzwa zile statements kama uliandika zitatumika na at the same time the investigating officers who took over the case wako within.”

The residents claim that some senior police officers and an unnamed influential figure in government are meddling in the case and helping the suspect escape from police custody whenever arrested.

Mwanthi however says the case has been taken over by DCI officers from Nairobi, who are still conducting investigations into the forex scam that saw investors reportedly lose millions of shillings.

Mwanthi says investigators are closing in on the suspects and urging the aggrieved residents to let the law run its course.

“Case sasa inakua taken over, kuanzia last week  tuko na officers from DCI HQ ambao wanachukua hii case waichunguze from turbo. But I’m sure haitachukua muda,” the police boss added.

The residents have vowed to hold demonstrations in Eldoret town every Monday until the culprit  Ambrose Makech Abuti and his accomplices are apprehended.

The Eldoret-based proprietor of Spring Mark Investment is said to have duped unsuspecting investors into believing that he could help them grow their money before disappearing into thin air with their deposits running into hundreds of millions of shillings.