By Andrew Kariuki
Police in Kirinyaga County have arrested a woman accused of orchestrating a multi million shilling scam by falsely promising to secure jobs in the National Police Service (NPS).
The suspect, Mercy Prudence Baika Mutie, a resident of Ngurubani town, is currently being held at Wang’uru Police Station and is expected to be arraigned in court on Tuesday.
According to investigators, Mutie is alleged to have conspired to defraud Dorris Njoki Njiru of Ksh400,000 by falsely claiming she could facilitate the recruitment of a young man, Newton Muthiiji Alvan, into the police service.
The alleged fraud came to light after Njiru filed a complaint, stating that she handed over the money to Mutie on November 20, 2025, in Ngurubani Township, Mwea East Sub-county.
Detectives say investigations established that Mutie had no authority or influence over police recruitment and is believed to have intended to unlawfully obtain the money.
Authorities further revealed that the suspect is linked to additional cases of obtaining money under false pretences, bringing the total amount involved in the alleged scheme to approximately Ksh3 million.
Among the reported incidents, Mutie is accused of obtaining; Ksh100,000 from Njiru in a separate transaction, Ksh600,000 from Harrison Njenga Njuguna, Ksh500,000 from Maureen Kariuki Njeru, among other complainants
According to detectives from Mwea East Sub county, all the transactions were carried out under the false promise of securing police recruitment opportunities.
Mutie is expected to face charges of conspiracy to defraud contrary to Section 317 of the Penal Code, as well as multiple counts of obtaining money by false pretences.
Police have cautioned members of the public against falling victim to fraudsters purporting to influence recruitment into government institutions, reiterating that official recruitment processes are conducted transparently and do not require payment.
