Nairobi Man Screams after Being Conned While Buying Phone at Luthuli Avenue: "Mnipatie Simu"
- A viral video shows a middle-aged man crying and demanding a refund or a phone after allegedly being conned by a rogue trader
- Despite the man's emotional pleas, the shop attendant showed no concern, and bystanders did not intervene much
- Kenyans online criticised legitimate businesses on Luthuli Avenue for tolerating fraudulent traders among them
- Speaking exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, Joel Ombongi, a consumer protection expert weighed in on the persistent scams affecting consumers
Kenyans are questioning why legitimate traders on Luthuli Avenue, Nairobi county, are allowing rogue businesspeople to conduct their schemes among them.
Source: Facebook
An unfortunate scene unfolded on the infamous Luthuli Avenue when a middle-aged man was conned by one of the rogue traders.
In a video that has since gone viral, the man is seen screaming and weeping bitterly on the street.
He shouted at the shop attendant to either give him a phone or refund his money.
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Why Nairobi man was screaming in streets
According to reports, the middle-aged man allegedly paid for a phone, but the attendants refused to hand it over to him.
Devastated and desperate to retrieve his money, he created a scene outside the shop as onlookers merely stared and walked by.
"Give me back my money or give me a phone," he said.
The lady at the shop appeared unbothered and simply stared at him without taking any action.
Two men then emerged to calm him down, but their efforts were in vain, as all he wanted was his phone or a refund.
Source: Facebook
Netizens react to Luthuli Avenue cons
Netizens are calling for government intervention and stricter regulation of businesses on Luthuli Avenue due to repeated con incidents.
Makau Kioko:
"Why can't the government shut these cons down and revoke their licences?"
Birech Caleb:
"There are matatus in Nairobi that don’t allow pickpockets to protect their customers. I don’t understand why electronic shops along Luthuli allow their customers to be robbed."
Kegoro James:
"Businesses along Luthuli should be concerned about the frequency of these incidents. They will get a bad reputation, and people will find alternatives."
Boniface Wanjau:
"The best we can do is educate the public to avoid that street unless just passing through."
SN Mwendwa:
"With all the online updates about Luthuli, I can’t even consider buying anything from that street."
Elizabeth Wambui:
"Why don’t the authorities take action against what’s happening on Luthuli? The stories are overwhelming."
Justa Wawira:
"To the business people there—either you deal with the cons or we will protest. I appreciate the move by Kamukunji, using loudspeakers to warn people about cons. It's not 100% effective, but it’s a good start. At least when you see a man cry, you’ll remember you were warned. That was not just any man—it wasn’t for show."
Pius Maingi:
"The sooner citizens realise that all the theft happening in our country is because we tolerate it, the better. All those onlookers are potential victims of theft too; I just wish they had intervened."
Cherry Francis:
"I suffered at the hands of those goons. I was buying a TV, but I stood my ground until they gave it to me. The shop belonged to a Somali woman. Since then, I’ve never gone back to buy anything on Luthuli."
Luthuli Avenue's fall from grace
Over the past couple of years, Kenyans have been sharing the degeneration of Luthuli Avenue, from a once-trusted street for all things electronics, to now a haven of con artists.
In 2018, the street underwent a major renovation, which cost KSh 24 million. The streets were fitted with new streetlights, pedestrian walkways, and bicycle lanes.
However, six years later, the street is a former shadow of itself.
Speaking to Citizen TV, a trader said the avenue is now flooded with electronic fraudsters and unending accidents as matatus now inhabit the pedestrian walkways.
Speaking exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, Joel Ombongi, a consumer protection expert weighed in on the persistent scams affecting consumers on Luthuli Avenue.
Ombongi emphasised the role of legitimate traders in rooting out fraudsters from their midst to restore public trust and secure their businesses from collective reputational damage.
"What we're seeing is not just a failure of government oversight, but also a failure of business community ethics. I once told my students that silence by good actors is complicity. If legitimate traders on Luthuli Avenue want to survive, they must collectively identify, isolate, and report rogue traders to the authorities. Otherwise, they risk losing all customer confidence," he told told TUKO.co.ke.
Nairobi man conned while buying TV on Luthuli Avenue
In similar news, TUKO.co.ke reported that a middle-aged man could not hold back his tears after being conned in Nairobi CBD.
According to reports, the man had gone to purchase a new TV when he unfortunately encountered a rogue trader who swindled him.
Upon realising he had lost his money, he screamed and wailed, drawing the attention of both passersby and shopkeepers.
Racheal Nyaguthie, HoD Human Interest, added reactions and Luthuli Avenue's fall from grace.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
