A daycare owner in the United States of America lost a whooping Ksh 29 million in Nairobi.
The victim who operates a daycare in New York alleges that she was defrauded of approximately $22,000 (Ksh 29 million) by a branch manager of a money transfer agency based in Eastleigh, Nairobi.
According to the aggrieved party, Rahma Abdullahi, a mother of four, her father introduced her to a senior officer at the agency, who promised that if she wished to carry out transactions from the United States, he could facilitate the process.
In a demand letter drafted by Danstan Omari and Associates Advocates addressed to the Director of Public Prosecutions, she explains that in May of last year, the officer contacted her with a proposal to open a new ‘Hawala’ branch, offering her a 20% stake in the venture in exchange for an investment of $100,000 (Ksh 13 million), which she was assured would yield substantial returns within a short period.
Hawala is an informal value transfer system operating outside conventional banking channels that relies on a network of trusted brokers who facilitate cross-border money transfers based on mutual trust rather than the physical movement of funds.
Transactions are typically undocumented, making them difficult to trace.
Following his instructions, she travelled from Minneapolis and transferred the funds to an agent associated with the agency, only to receive a receipt bearing the name “Rasma Pay LLC” rather than that of the expected firm.
As days passed without progress, Rahma attempted to secure an update on the proposed hawala branch, and when she reached out near the end of September, she was told that delays with a contractor would push completion to the end of November 2024.
“Our client called Abdi to inquire about the progress of the business to which he responded with a long-winded message decrying an ailing mother. Our client became suspicious and reached out to her father who was involved in the transactions and told her to call Abdi and inform him that she was no longer interested in the business and wished to have the money refunded back to her,” the demand letter states.
Efforts to recover her investment proved fruitless, as the officer claimed that the funds had been lost within the agency’s system. In a bid to resolve the matter amicably, Rahma sought mediation through Somali community elders, a process which ultimately degenerated into what her representatives describe as a charade.
A subsequent visit to Kenya on December 31, 2024, revealed that the local office had been closed and the implicated officer had been dismissed; preliminary legal actions have been taken, though formal charges remain pending.
“What has happened to me is something no one should ever endure. I am determined to see justice done, and I want those responsible to face the full force of the law,” Rahma stated while speaking to the media.
Although the suspect was later detained by the DCI at Kilimani and appeared at a law court in Kibera on January 6, he is yet to be formally charged, having been released on a cash bail of Ksh 100,000.
