Nairobi, March 28- TikToker Maria Wangari Kamunge, known online as Rish Kamunge, has been accused of orchestrating a fraudulent job scam that allegedly defrauded Kenyans of millions. Despite opposition from prosecutors, she was granted a Ksh.5 million bond by Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina on Friday morning.
Kamunge, who operated under the name Trustpine Verified Agent Ltd, is accused of promising job opportunities abroad in exchange for payments ranging from Ksh.200,000 to Ksh.300,000. However, after receiving the money, she allegedly failed to deliver on her promises and became unreachable.
According to police reports, complaints against her began surfacing between January 1 and March 20, 2025. Victims claim they were instructed to send money via M-Pesa to a number registered in her name. When they failed to secure the promised jobs and tried to contact her, she had reportedly gone into hiding. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) states that 43 individuals sent a total of Ksh.12.9 million to her.
Kamunge was apprehended on March 26, 2025, in a Nairobi office building by members of the public, who handed her over to Central Police Station. Following her arrest, additional victims have come forward with similar complaints, prompting investigators to request an extension of her detention.
Despite the prosecution’s push for more time to conclude investigations, Magistrate Onyina ruled that there was no compelling reason to keep her in custody. He noted that the prosecution had not demonstrated any threats to her safety or presented evidence of multiple complainants filing grievances.
As a condition of her release, Kamunge must report regularly to the investigating officer until the case is concluded.
