Felesta Njoroge, Jane Wangui Kago, Serah Wambui Kamanda, and Tebby Wambuku Kago could have counted themselves as the luckiest girls in Kenya after they received over half a billion shillings from Belgian crypto dealer, Merc De Mesel. The four together with Serah’s cousin Timothy Kago were gifted Sh. 650 million by De Mesel.
The gifting started last year when De Mesel gifted his 21-year-old girlfriend Felesta Sh. 102 million. Felesta who is a student at the Nairobi Technical Training Institute has Sh. 102,654,024 at her Co-operative Bank of Kenya account.
The millions were deposited to her account in four split transactions in a span of three days from August 4 to August 6, 2021. De Mesel then sent another batch of over Sh. 108 million to yet another lady, bringing the total amount he sent to over Sh. 210 million.
Apparently, in the same week Felesta got the money, 21-year-old Nairobi Technical Institute student Tebby Wambui Kago also received Sh. 108.2 million from the Belgian billionaire. She first received $631,071 (Sh. 71.2 million) at Equity Bank and later Sh. 37 million in the same bank. It also emerged that Felesta also got an additional Sh. 5 million from her Stanbic Bank account.
De Mesel then sent an additional amount to Tabby bringing the total of millions she received to Sh. 144 million. On top of this, he also sent Jane Wangui Sh. 44 million and another Sh. 47 million to Serah’s cousin Timothy. Apparently, he money that was sent to Timothy was a gift for him to start a business.
“Sometimes in 2019, I had escorted my cousin, Serah Wambui, to Aga Khan Hospital. She got treated and from there we went to a nearby Java restaurant within Parklands. As we were having lunch, a white gentleman walked in and joined us. Serah introduced him to me as her boyfriend. She also introduced me to the gentleman as her cousin. The name of the white man was Merc Freddy De Mesel,” Timothy was quoted as having told investigators by a local daily.
He further allegedly told investigators that soon after, he was named as the personal assistant to De Mesel, and was to be paid Sh. 50,000 through cryptocurrency. “As the personal assistant, my duties included booking travels, flights, paying bills, booking hotels, making appointments, etc. I also assisted him obtain a work permit and a passport for his family,” he was quoted as having telling the investigators.
In early 2021, Timothy was asked by De Mesel if he wanted funding to start a business. He said yes and received Sh. 47,115,730, out of which he transferred Sh. 2,623,750 to his UK account at Fidon Bank. He then transferred the balance of balance of Sh. 39 million to his Stanbic Bank account.
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Reports say that when De Mesel gifted Wangui Sh. 44 million, he was kin on taking her to Portugal, and even asked if she would be interested in going through an immigration program for Portugal known as the Portugal Golden Visa.
Jane and Tebby told investigators that they met De Messel at the Pirates Beach in Mombasa in 2017. They said that while at the beach, De Mesel had approached them and started talking to her sister Tebby. On her part, Tebby was quoted as having told investigators that she is De Mesel’s housewife and that they have been staying at an apartment in Garden City, Nairobi, since February 2018. “In the year 2017 before I started staying with Merc De Mesel, I introduced him to my parents and they agreed I stay with him as long as I was safe,” Tebby said. It was not clear if she was aware that De Mesel was also dating Felesta or that the two allegedly had a baby together.