Stranded In New Home

By Johnson Okwako

When I was promoted to the position of Production Manager, I felt life had changed completely. With a good salary and a car, I had to change my lifestyle and move to a better house, improve on my wardrobe, diet and social standing. I had climbed the social ladder. First, housing was a basic need. I had to leave my slum house and join my friends in the prestigious estates.

I thought Buru Buru, a middle class estate, was the best place to live. I went there to search for a house. After five hours of crisscrossing the estate and almost giving up, I spotted an advertisement that read: "To let. Two-bedrooms with parking for Sh11,000 only. No agents. Please call 07…." Tired and exhausted, I moved near to get a better view.

"This is cheap! My friend Dan lives here and pays Sh15,000 for a one-bedroom house without a parking, " I thought. I sat on a stone nearby and called the number. The man on the other side clarified: "Please note this is an introductory offer and it is on first come, first served basis, so hurry up. It is a pay and enter house, there are no other hidden charges or hindrances."

Inspection Tour

He asked me to go to a specific hotel in Buru Buru and ask for Sam or Tom. "Come tomorrow with the deposit fee and rent totalling Sh22,000 only. Remember, first come first served!," he added before disconnecting his phone. I did not want to lose such a good opportunity. Therefore, the next day I withdrew the money and asked my friend Richard, a boxer, to accompany me for security purposes. We found a woman at the hotel serving customers. We asked for Sam or Tom. She pointed at a table at a far corner and we headed there. A man introduced himself as Sam and offered us a beer each. After taking the beer and small talk, I asked about the house. He enquired whether we had the money. I confirmed to him that I had carried it but I would not pay unless I saw the house and signed a rent agreement and retained a copy. We went to inspect the house.

Rent Agreement

The house was superbly constructed with a car park and a playing ground. Sam ushered us in. "You see, this house is two-bed-roomed with a sitting room, kitchen and toilet," he said as he showed us around. We went round and confirmed all the facilities were working. Then he produced a rent agreement, which we both signed. I gave him the money and he gave me the original copy of the rent agreement. He remained with the duplicate. Rental conditions included that I should be paying rent before the fifth of every month and I should keep the compound clean.

"You go prepare and come back when you are ready to occupy the house. I will hand you the key then. Meanwhile, we will be painting the walls and cleaning the compound. Do not be alarmed so long as you have the agreement signed, the house is yours," Sam assured me. I told him I would occupy the house on the first of the coming month.

"You have my phone number, call me a day before you arrive," he advised.

"You are lucky, that house can fetch as much as Sh18,000 going by the market rate," Richard told me on our way out.

We went to a nearby pub and had one beer each. Back home, I told my wife about the house, the parking and playground. She was excited and demanded we move there immediately. On the last day of the month, I called Sam. "Everything is okay, we finished painting and repairing and you can now occupy the house. Please meet me at the same hotel for the key," Sam said.

Farewell To Neighbours

On the appointed date, we loaded our belongings on a truck we had hired. I met Sam at the hotel and he handed me the key to the house and others for the other doors. "Now you can move in anytime," he said. I went home, prepared everybody and bade farewell to my neighbours. Richard helped us get to the area since he once lived in the neighbourhood.

On arrival, we unloaded all our belongings. We tried to open the doors but the keys were not working. We tried to call Sam on his phone but the phone went unanswered. After unsuccessfully trying to call him for several hours, we asked the neighbours if they knew Sam or Tom but none knew them. Suddenly guards in uniform stormed in and accused us of encroaching on a private property. That’s when I realised I had been deceived by fraudsters. We moved back to my former home. I have tried calling Sam’s number and the response is always the same.