Social media long evolved from merely being a communication tool to being a powerful marketing platform. It's easier to point out well-known businesses that do not exist online rather than trying to name the endless list of businesses that joined the online bandwagon. In turn, businesses now conduct transactions online, through their websites and social media pages and popular groups like Soko Kuu. However, where physical transaction does not exist there is bound to be buyer-seller misunderstandings. Come in, Facebook groups like 'Buyer Beware - Kenya,' a platform that allows buyers to air out their grievances with online sellers seeking possible amicable solutions or simply name and shame cons parading as online sellers.
With over 6,700 members the group has grown into one of the social media forces to reckon with, going far and beyond to help members seek justice for wrong doings done to them by online cons. Jacky, member of the Buyer Beware- Kenya group, recently won the hearts of the group's members with the saddening incident she underwent through owing to an online con. In her own words, she narrated her ordeal through the group.
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Emmanuel Kimeu's Facebook Profile the supposed detective[/caption]A few months back I needed a Forensic Analyst. I found someone advertising on FB calling himself detective Kimeu. We developed a rapport and he embarked on work for me. I entrusted him with a Samsung phone from which he was to extract info for me. He has since disappeared. His FB name is EMMANUEL KIMEU JUDAH. His MPESA name EMMANUEL NGUI. I have attached a screenshot of his profile. His phone numbers: 0729550555 and 0786351722. I had also entrusted him with some of my goods as I was incapacitated at the time, including computers, Satelite receiver, plasma tv, PVR decoder amongst other things, I managed to trace some of my goods to a family called LWEMBE via their daughters who were posing on FB in my clothes and after inboxing them they claimed to have been given the stuff but they knew it was mine. They have resorted to playing cat and mouse games, but emmanuel has since blocked me on FB and won't pick my calls.
The members of the group rallied behind Jacky and the result was the rise of the Facebook page 100,000 Likes for Justice to Be Done for Jacky and Her Kids. The page was started on March 28th this year and it has already garnered more than 1200 likes. The page seeks to expose the Lwembe family who took possession of Jacky's belongings and have given her a hard time getting the items back. Jacky has been in contact with the Lwembes from August last year, when they took possession of her property for safe keeping but in an unexplained twist ended up distributing the items among themselves. Jacky explained further about the incident on the Buyer Beware - Kenya group.
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The Lwembes, a photo used on the page created to get Jacky justice.[/caption]I had a matter that needed a forensic expert. Emmanuel is the said forensic expert. While he was still doing my work, I happened to be in hospital but needed to move some stuff but could not have transport immediately, Emmanuel offered to store them for me in their company's go down, but he was accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Lwembe to go see my stuff. He told me Lwembe was his prayer partner and a mzee in church in Diani. The Lwembes' offered to store my things, I needed storage for 2 weeks and they said it was ok, the mzee reassured my mum. Fortunately I was able to get transport sooner than I thought, they took my stuff end of August and from their own admission on or around 3rd August, I had spoken to them on 31st July and had thought they took immediately. On 4th August I told them I had got transport and thanked them for the help. That's when they went underground. And Emmanuel even claimed to have gone to Australia but told me where to find this mzee.
The Lwembes cut off communication with Jacky and even blocked her on social media as she continued effortlessly to get back her belongings. She continues narrating the ordeal of how she stumbled upon photos of the Lwembe daughters' wearing some of her clothes on Facebook.
This girl Sylvia in a flowered dress and white belt, found this dress still with tags wore this complete outfit to a wedding plus purse and shoes(I dunno about underwear) these are my clothes. Yet I had inboxed her telling her I had no clothes. The state of my clothes when brought back....smh....you can see she was even asking her friends to come shop in her wardrobe- my wardrobe... I asked her and her sister to pull down the pictures of them in my clothes cos it hurts me lakini wapi and they still have not given back all my clothes. Hata baby bottles walikataa nazo.
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Sylvia Lwembe, in the middle, wearing a flowered dress that Jacky says belongs to her.[/caption]Jacky explains that she had consulted a lawyer, but upon the best of her judgment she decided to solve the problem amicably. Unfortunately, the Lwembes took her kindness for weakness and have since been avoiding her and making it more and more difficult to get her belongings back. She finally gives a parting word to the Lwembes.
Mr Lwembe and family, if you are reading this, you know what you have put me through and you know how I have persevered, I told you I would go to social media and you threatened me to sue me with libel. Remember it's only libel if it's untrue, if I am lying come here and exonerate yourselves. You know that I have not even began to scratch the surface of what I have revealed here. I am ready for you to state your side. Also you threatened to put my things out in the rain, the last time I made noise about it, remember this anything you damage you pay for so it's up to you. You have ignored my messages in the last two weeks. You said you are my father, now treat me like a daughter.
Both the Buyer Beware group and the page are getting Jacky the justice she seeks for the wrong done to her. Many more pages have cropped up and will keep on cropping up to get Kenyans the Social Media Justice they deserve.
Images courtesy of Buyer Beware Kenya and 100,000 Likes for Justice to Be Done for Jacky and Her Kids
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