In August 2022, an online drama unfolded that left many intrigued and concerned. The central figure in this unfolding narrative was Catherine Njoki, who went by the Facebook alias ‘Kate wa Gladys.’
At the center of all the hullabaloo was an unexpected serious case of financial fraud, The scam allegedly involved Kate wa Gladys creating small WhatsApp groups commonly known as “chamas“, main purpose of the chamas was to pool funds from its members. Over time, these groups swelled in size, amassing Upto Ksh 10 million. The money was then lent to members to reinvest in their various personal projects.
The plot thickened when some members started protesting that they couldn’t access the funds and Kate was suddenly arrested on fraud charges related to the issue. Before her arrest, she boasted nearly 80,000 followers on her Facebook page, but she couldn’t provide a reasonable account of the staggering 10 million shillings that members had contributed to her various online chamas.
Kate’s defense majorly banked on claims that some members had defaulted on payments, running into millions of shillings. She went to her Facebook page and promised the disgruntled members that she was diligently working to ensure they received what was owed to them. This fell on deaf ears as members couldn’t understand how they couldn’t access their funds.
Kate even went to the extent of publicly naming a woman who, she alleged, had failed to repay Sh2,859,850 across 19 different chamas. Her last Facebook post before her arrest was made on August 20th, where she assured her followers that she hadn’t deleted her page and was still present on the platform.
After a long period of online silence, Kate made a comeback yesterday on social media with two heartfelt Facebook posts. Her first message conveyed a message of resilience, stating, “God’s grace is sufficient. Starting from scratch all over again. Beauty of rock bottom is that there is nowhere to go but up.”
In her second post, she took a more apologetic tone, addressing the pain and losses that many had experienced due to her actions. She sincerely expressed remorse and pledged to put in every effort to restore those who had suffered losses. She also encouraged those who had contributed to the situation to come forward and take responsibility for their part in making amends.
However, the response to Kate’s posts was far from forgiving. Instead, her comments section was flooded with insults, laughter, anger, and mockery from Facebook users. Some, being former members of the chamas, were still reeling from the financial losses they had suffered, and others outrightly expressed their frustration on the comments section.
Today, Kate embarked on starting an online Cake Business. This further led to a barrage of insults and mockery as the scam is still fresh in everyone’s mind.
The story of Kate wa Gladys serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of online financial schemes and the enduring impact of such actions on individuals’ lives and online reputations.
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