Pastor posing as anti-terror detective arrested for conning Ethiopian national Ksh.3M
Pastor posing as anti-terror detective arrested for conning Ethiopian national Ksh.3M
Detectives from the Nairobi Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) have arrested a man who allegedly impersonated one of their own to defraud an Ethiopian refugee out of more than Ksh. 3 million.
He made a false promise to the Ethiopian national that he was in a position to facilitate Kenyan citizenship.
The suspect, Rev. Richard Macharia Njuguna of the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) in Juja Farm, Thika South Diocese, Kiambu County, was apprehended at the Overstone Hotel on the Eastern Bypass in Ruiru.
His arrest followed a formal complaint filed at Nairobi’s Capitol Hill Police Station, which led to the case being transferred to ATPU for specialized investigation.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Njuguna allegedly pretended to be a senior ATPU officer assigned to the Directorate of Immigration Services.
Between December 20, 2024 and February 12, 2025, he is accused of defrauding the refugee—whose identity has not been revealed—of Sh3,030,500.
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The money was purportedly exchanged for faster processing of Kenyan citizenship.
A subsequent search of Njuguna’s home in Kahawa West and his vehicle turned up a cache of suspicious documents and wooden stamps.
Among the seized items were forged credentials and paraphernalia bearing the names of various government institutions, including the Chief Magistrate’s office in Nairobi, the Kenya Immigration Department at JKIA, Immigration Control in Busia, the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Somalia, and the Ministry of Lands.
Authorities believe these items were used to strengthen the suspect’s impersonation and persuade his victims of his fictitious government connections.
“The suspect remains in custody as he undergoes further processing, and his vehicle and the recovered items are being held as exhibits,” the DCI confirmed in a statement.
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