Parents of St. Teresa Girls Yala have been warned not to give money to fraudsters who fraudulently got school fee data by accessing the school gates.
The school’s management said that the thieves pretended to work for the Ministry of Education before taking a visitor’s book with parents‘ names and phone numbers and running away.
“People in the white saloon claiming to be from the education office were here. Kindly note and spread the news.
“They may want to use it to con parents. A parent has already been conned Ksh9,000,” a viral statement claimed.
Sister Violet Lydia Namutali, the school’s principal, confirmed the event when she was contacted.
Still, she reassured parents that the problem had been reported to the police, who were taking the right steps.
She claimed, “We suspect there was a mischievous activity between the suspects and some non-teaching staff that were at the gate, and they got away with the book that had details of the parents who visited the school.
The incident was reported to the Yala Police, who are still investigating.
The school also notified the parents and warned them against paying any money in the guise of a school official.
Charles Chacha, leader of the sub-county police force in Gem, stated that his staff was fully aware of the situation.
He confirmed that no one had been arrested and said that the information the police got from the school, like the number of the suspected car, was not enough.
St. Teresa in Yala Township performed exceptionally well in the 2021-2022 KCPE examinations.
Its top student earned 426 out of 500 possible points, ranking among the top 20 students in Siaya County.
Earlier in June, Parents and guardians of High School students were cautioned about a new scam employed by con artists.
Keiyo South Directorate of Criminal Investigation Officer (DCIO) Samuel Otieno stated to the media that scammers have been going around schools stealing books containing important data, which they then use to defraud naive parents.
Otieno observed that the vice had gained traction in several schools, with some parents falling victim to the perpetrators.
To gain access to the school’s grounds, the fraudsters use various schemes, such as posing as concerned parents, he explained.
They cited paying fees and attending parent’s meetings and school gatherings as justifications.
The incidents have affected multiple high schools in Elgeyo Marakwet county, including Kapkenda High school, Alphonsus Girls Mutei, Lelboinet, and Kimwarer.
In the case of Kapkenda High School, a man posing as a parent seeking an audience with the school’s bursar stole the visitor’s book at the school’s entrance.
Joyce Mulunda, the school’s principal, noted that the impostor went to the gate a few minutes after claiming to be preoccupied and being directed to the bursar’s office.
She stated, “The man waited at the gate for nearly an hour, and when the security officer excused herself, he seized the visitor’s book and fled.”
Within minutes of committing the vice, the offender sent messages to over 100 parents requesting between Ksh1,000 and Ksh5,000 for their children’s needs.
Before contributing money, the principal urged parents to verify any doubting information about the institution.
