A grassroots savings group operating under the name “Silk” is reportedly at the centre of an unsettling storm, accused of exploiting and oppressing vulnerable women under the guise of community empowerment in Butula, Busia County.
Though presented as a welfare-oriented chama, Silk appears to function in murky, unregulated territory, with its operations now raising alarm among affected residents who speak of gross injustices, financial coercion, and emotional devastation, allegations that paint a grim picture of unchecked power being exercised over struggling women.
Reports from victims detail a disturbing pattern of extrajudicial debt recovery methods, where auctioneers allegedly dispatched by the group have raided homesteads and seized property of inordinate value relative to the debts claimed, often without warning, notice, or due process.
In one particularly harrowing incident, a woman in mourning for her late mother was targeted just as she was preparing to retrieve the body from the mortuary.
Despite having communicated her situation to the group and requested her savings be offset against a modest debt of Ksh 23,000, she awoke to the traumatic shock of losing livestock worth nearly Ksh 200,000, three cows and two goats, hauled away in an auction that reportedly occurred without legal documentation or proper authorization.
Attempts to seek redress through formal channels, including the police, the local sub-chief, and even the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), have reportedly yielded nothing but dead ends, further deepening the sense of abandonment and injustice felt by the victims.
Concerns have also been raised that the chama itself lacks formal registration, casting serious doubts on its legal standing and opening up critical questions about how such a loosely governed entity is allowed to engage in aggressive asset seizure with no apparent regulatory oversight.
“Hi Nyakundi. Please expose a chama known as Silk in Busia County, Butula Sub-county, run by Mama Mary Reep, for exploiting women. Earlier this month, a woman with a debt of KSh 23,000 was mourning her late mother and had informed members to use her savings and allow her to clear the balance after the burial, as she was the only child. Shockingly, the chama’s leadership sent auctioneers who took 3 cows and 2 goats worth nearly KSh 200,000 without issuing any notice. Despite reporting the matter to the police, the sub-chief, and even the DCI, no help has been received. This chama is terrorizing residents, and people are suffering while a few individuals benefit illegally from others’ hard-earned money. Many are now depressed, and some are said to be taking their own lives due to the injustices. To make matters worse, this chama is not even registered. Please help us share this.”
