A German investor now claims that his life is in danger after his Kenyan girlfriend allegedly stole KSh5.4 million from his Harbour Key cottages villa in Malindi, Kilifi County.
Reiner Hans Hermann Kreplin, 66, claims that the lady identified as Mercy Adhiambo Achieng took the money from the villa they had been living in together.
Kreplin alleges that since the incident occurred, he has been receiving threatening messages from unknown persons, forcing him to flee the house for fear of his life.
He fears that the 24-year-old Achieng could be tracing him with the help of a gang, the reason he has been living like a nomad, moving from one place to another for his safety.
The man in love says that he had just returned to Kenya to buy a second villa at the Harbour Key Cottages under both their names.
He also intended to invest in an irrigation project and recycling plant in Ganze Constituency, Kilifi County, projects that could have costed him about KSh5 million.
Kreplin says that he waited for 72 hours to lapse before reporting Achieng’s disappearance.
Upon filing a missing persons report at the Malindi police station, they conducted a search at his villa.
“I reported the matter to Malindi police station after she went missing. We went with the police to my cottage only to find the suitcase broken into and Sh5.4 Million in foreign currency missing,” Kreplin says.
The officers allegedly assured him that they would arrest and prosecute her for a criminal offence. However, they have not managed to trace her whereabouts yet.
The officers further alleged that they were only tracing Achieng for the money stolen and were not aware of the death threats claimed by Kreplin.
Ganze Sub County Police Commander John Kemboi advised Kreplin to file a case with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to trail the suspect.
“He should go to the nearest police station and report the matter, the DCI will take it over and action shall be taken against the culprit,’” Kemboi said.
Narrating their love story that has lasted less than two years, Kreplin says he first came to Kenya as a tourist in January 2019, and decided to invest here.
He initially wanted to invest in neighbouring Ethiopia but was advised by friends in Nairobi to purchase a house in Mtwapa, Kilifi County, near Pirates Beach.
The sexagenarian says he met Achieng at Amada Resort in 2019, working as a waitress, their love struck instantly.
Barely two days later, he allegedly helped move her to a new bedsitter and bought her a new phone, citing that the one she had was in poor condition.
Kreplin would later move to Malindi where he bought the Harbour Key Cottages villa on April 29 from an Italian.
October 29 is when she allegedly moved in with him and have since been living together “as an advisor and translator.”
Kreplin confesses that their relationship had advanced to a point where he had met her parents, and supported them financially.
During Achieng’s birthday in September 2020, Kreplin says they celebrated in Zanzibar and returned to their Malindi residence.
On the fateful day, however, he says he had gone out to get coffee at Osteria restaurant, but did not find her when he returned, and only got puzzled later.
“After 1 pm, I got suspicious. I waited for two days to lapse to report her missing,” Kreplin says.
He says that the German embassy had advised him to file a case against her but dismissed the idea, fearing it could be a slow process.