Woman seeks to recover over Sh3m from 23 soldiers

**Ruth Wairimu. Left, shows KDF uniform belonging to one of the officers who left it as collateral.** [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

A woman who was allegedly swindled more than Sh3 million by 23 Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers has moved to court.

Ruth Wairimu want the Small Claims Court in Nakuru to help her recover the money she claims was lost from February 5, 2020, to August 31, 2021. The amount could hit Sh6 million due to accrued interests, she says in the court papers.

Wairimu claims to have lent the money to the soldiers, who were her customers at a nightclub in Gilgil. “I entered into a shylock business and the officers who were my customers were the first to borrow money from me.”

One of the KDF men is said to have borrowed Sh452,000 on February 5, 2020, after she took a bank loan. He was to refund with an interest of 20 per cent.

“The officers came to me seeking loans for alleged funeral arrangements, school fees and business projects among others,” she told the court.

And now, Wairimu claims by the end of October 2021, she had 23 Service Identity Cards, which she took as security until the loan was fully paid.

According to the court papers, the soldiers refused to refund the money, ignoring her calls and sometimes switching off their mobile phones.

The 39-year-old mother of two says attempts to recover the loans through the police and the Military Police at Gilgil Barracks were futile.

“The military had promised to deal with my case and they summoned the officers involved but nothing was reported back to me,” she said.

Wairimu claims her vehicle and plots were auctioned by the bank due to non-payment of the loans she had taken, and she was also forced to close the nightclub.

“If the court does not intervene I will lose everything and I will be unable to provide for my children,” she says.

Nakuru Resident Magistrate Edward Oboge directed that the case be mentioned on Friday.