The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched an active investigation into Branka International College, located along Mfangano Road, Hakati House in Nairobi. The institution is facing allegations of obtaining money by false pretenses, as reported by numerous alumni who have raised concerns.
The complaint, filed at the DCI Nairobi Regional offices in September 2023, triggered investigations that uncovered fraudulent activities at the college.
“It has since been established that the college whose operations kicked off in 2021 is not registered as a training institution, and the proprietors only made several unsuccessful attempts to register it through online Technical and Vocational Education and Training Management Information System (TVET MIS) application portal recently after getting wind of the ongoing investigations,” DCI said.
Further scrutiny revealed that the college is only registered as an unspecified business, categorized as an institution/polytechnic/college according to Business Registration Service (BRS) records.
Reports indicate that unsuspecting students were lured into enrolling in courses that promised job placements in the USA, Europe, and Australia.
Charging exorbitant fees of Sh350,000 per student for a one-week course, the institution has left students in perpetual waiting after completion, with some being dropped for allegedly not meeting minimum requirements.
No refunds are provided, and the total amount defrauded from victims is estimated at Sh70 million, DCI said.
The main suspect, Ms. Teresia Mumbi Kamau, and her accomplice, Thaitu Ng’ang’a & Associate, have allegedly resorted to threatening legal action against victims demanding refunds or promised overseas job placements.
In response to non-compliance with investigative requests, Teresia Mumbi filed for anticipatory bond application in the High Court and has avoided the institution premises since. Similar complaints have been reported at Nairobi Central and Kamukunji Police Stations.
The DCI urges any additional victims of this fraudulent activity to come forward and report to the DCI Regional Headquarters in Nairobi.
“We further caution students enrolling for courses in various tertiary level institutions to be wary of the existence of such fraudulence. The expeditious conclusion of this case is being pursued in a deliberate effort to deliver justice to both the parties,” said the DCI.
