How USIU lecturer conned students Ksh.10M for UK trip that never happened

Authorities in Nairobi are looking into an incident involving a lecturer who reportedly deceived multiple students from USIU-Africa, swindling them out of over Ksh. 10 million for a trip to the United Kingdom that never took place.
Students who filed reports at the Kasarani Police Station claim that the lecturer misled and defrauded them of over Ksh. 10 million under false pretenses, promising an educational trip to the United Kingdom in April 2024.
On Thursday, the lecturer was brought before the court, and the police were granted 14 days to investigate the case further and determine suitable charges. It is alleged that he instructed students to transfer funds into his personal bank account and even went so far as to fabricate a travel itinerary to convince them of the trip's legitimacy.
The investigators presented him in court on Thursday, where the Makadara Law Courts ordered his release on cash bail while the police continue their investigation.
Detectives are looking to examine the mentioned bank account to ascertain how much money was deposited by the complainants, when these deposits occurred, and if additional charges can be applied to facilitate the prosecution of the accused.
The students allege that they were swindled out of nearly Ksh. 10 million by someone they trusted, whom they considered their mentor.
In November 2023, Moses Joshua Onyango, the Chairman of the International Relations department, supposedly informed them about a planned trip to the United Kingdom. Each student was required to pay USD 3,000 (approximately Ksh. 386,485), with some parents covering these costs.
According to the complainants, 24 students fell victim to this scheme, collectively contributing Ksh. 10,872,000. However, police reports indicate that Onyango can only confirm receiving around Ksh. 7 million from the students for the non-existent trip.

After the payments were made, either in full or in installments, an unexpected turn of events occurred; although the trip was scheduled for April 2024, it was postponed for unclear reasons.

The students sought clarification from the university and demanded information regarding their tickets and confirmation of the travel dates. In their pursuit of answers, they were met with a shocking revelation: the trip had not been approved by the university.

In fact, the institution had canceled any plans for students to travel to the United Kingdom, leading to a challenging and prolonged effort to recover their funds.

When their attempts to resolve the issue through the university went unheard, they decided to involve the police in the investigation.

The frustrated students report that their efforts to communicate their grievances to the university have been largely ineffective. They sent multiple emails to the dean but received no response.

To their astonishment, they recently learned that the lecturer has since been dismissed from his position at the institution.