I love my country but like every other country everyone tries to survive the best way they know how. In Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, we have the rich, middle class and the poor and due to such disparity and high population, we have thieves, some armed robbers and others con men.
My interest is on con men as I feel prey to this hunters. last Saturday as I was walking from school, the University of Nairobi, to the stage to get a matatu (public transportation), along Kimathi Street, I was on call when i saw a young man bend and pick an envelope. He looked at me and the person who had dropped it, ''mrudishie tu'' ''give it back'' I told him.
He walked towards the guy but happened to have walked faster than him and lost him. He came back to where I was and told me that the man had dropped an envelop of money. I urged him to return it but he offered to split the cash 50/ 50 with me if I wouldn't tell.
''How much is it?'' I asked.
''I don't know, let's walk, find an alley and split the cash'', he replied.
I followed him as was tempted. ''Money is very tempting'', he told me. I simply smiled and walked side by side with him. He then suggested we walk through an arcade, find a corner and split the cash. I suggested we find a seat at the hotel Wimpy, order a drink, count the money and every one goes their way. No one will mind what business we're up to.
He bought the idea and added that since ladies are suspected less, i should borrow the keys to the loo, and then split the money there, how ever since he's trusting me with all the money, i had to leave my cell phone with him as collateral. In case I decide you run with the money.
He went ahead and looked at the paper on the envelope and said that its a bank withdrawal from Equity bank of KES 40,000 equivalent to USD 400 / EURO 295. It's a lot of money. Half meant I'd take home KES 20,000 tax free cash.
In my head, I made calculations on what to buy and pay back. Keep the rest. He went to explain that my phone isn't possibly more than KES 40,000, I could easily buy another if he left with it. I told him off, it's either you take my word for it that I'd return with your half as you wait at the table next to the door or not, am not leaving you with anything of mine.
He made a call and said that he was on the other side. He was not very impressed by the fact that I wouldn't give in to his demands and suggested we go sit at some public benches split and leave each other. We walked towards the Hilton hotel, through Mama Ngina Street and stopped at the city hall way street. Right there, another gentleman approaches us and asked if we had collected a brown envelop with KES 40,000 in it
He had been told we took it by the guards at the kimathi house, where the young man bent to collect it,along Kimathi street and apparently I was the one who took it. I denied obviously and the young man returned the envelop to him and told him that we were actually looking for him. We went on separate ways.
As I was trying to come in terms with what had happened, it hit me, I was being conned. Equity bank members withdraw cash through the counter for such an amount and only need your ID card and account number, no papers involved. I know as am a member.
There is no possible way, that man followed us from Kimathi Street to Mama Ngina and then City Hall way and still know it was us. In Nairobi there's an estimate of tens of thousands of people in the city at a given time, especially at noon on a weekend.
I laughed it out and made a note to self; never ever fall victim for any amount of money.
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