The Police has nabbed a 23-year-old Tanzanian woman who was caught posing as a disabled mother and using children to beg for money.
According to reports, the incident in coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya.
In reaction, Ibrahim Basafar, the County inspectorate Deputy Director in charge of operations said the lady was arrested after following reliable information from members of the public on the activities of a suspicious group of foreigners around that area.
According to Ibrahim, some Kenyan parents ‘rent’ out their children to the Tanzanian woman so that she used them to beg for money and give them their cut.
He said;“Our officers have been investigating this syndicate of con artists from Tanzania. We even have a court case against one suspect who traffics them to Mombasa.”
The County inspectorate Deputy Director added that this woman earns about Ksh 20,000 to Ksh 15,000 (N53,0000-N72,000) a day and gives the mother of the child Ksh 3,000 (N10,000).
“The sunlight is harsh, there is dirt and sometimes they are even rained on. These children are 10, 12 and 15yr olds.
“We have people at Coast General Hospital who can’t afford medication. They are in pain. These are the people we need to help and not these con men.”
The Tanzanian woman appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Rita Amwai and was charged with two charges of collecting money under false pretenses and one count of being in the country illegally.
She pled guilty on both charges and was sentenced to one year in jail for collecting money through deception. She was also offered the option of paying a Ksh50,000 fine.
After the first judgment was fulfilled, Judge Amwai issued repatriation orders on the second count of being in Kenya illegally.