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Shock as caregivers accuse popular fashion designer Shiyenze Khasoha of faking cancer


Two caregivers of hitherto cancer patient Shiyenze Khasoha have come forward alleging that the popular fashion designer does not suffer from ovarian cancer as she claims.

In April, the 25-year-old fashion designer went on a media frenzy telling her cancer survival story, which saw many Kenyans moved into action.

Larry Madowo of BBC, Jeff Koinange of Hot 96 and Amina Mohamed of NTV were some of the top journalists who championed her campaign.

Kenyans were urged to buy her outfits to save her life and also make direct contributions to her pay bill number.

In total, it is estimated that Sh2 million was raised in one of the campaigns. What followed later were initiatives like Sh50-a-day where benefactors were asked to spare just Sh50 for her every day where she would collect up to Sh50,000 a day.

A group of Kenyans also bought her sewing machines to boost her fashion business.

NOT ADDING UP

But this week, Philip Oketch and Joy Kakya, who were Shiyenze’s caregivers, came out publicly claiming that her account of events was not adding up.

Oketch and Kaya now say that it pains them that there are hundreds of genuine cancer cases out there who deserved help from the public, which they did not get while Shiyenze took advantage of people’s generosity to benefit financially.

When confronted by the two, Shiyenze said it was part of a script.

In a confession video aired on Citizen TV on Wednesday night, Mr Oketch asked her why she told an Oncologist at MP Shah Hospital that she had had surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Apollo Hospital in India.

One of Shiyenze Khasoha’s posters.

In her defence, Shiyenze told them that it was a script and that is why she doesn’t have any records. She also admitted that she has never been to India for any treatment.

Asked if she has ever been treated for ovarian cancer at MP Shah, she said she could not answer “yes” or “no” because she had used their services before.

Kakya, who has been friends with Shiyenze for close to six years, says that the designer would never turn up for hospital appointments whenever they were set to go together. She always had an excuse.

SEEK A SECOND OPINION

“Every time we corner her for something, she rushes to Kijabe Hospital and tells us that she was going to seek a second opinion,” says Kakya.

My Oketch adds that when he asked her for her biopsy report, she claimed that she tore it after she was given the bad news that she had cancer.

In 2017, the designer launched her campaign dubbed #VaaShiyenze to raise money for her treatment, which was championed by top celebrities among them Madowo, Koinange, Nameless, Gilad Millo, Jalang’o, Shaffie Weru, Adele Onyango, Big Ted and among others.

She raised funds to a tune of Sh2,000,000 which was sent directly to her M-Pesa and Standard Chartered Bank.

Shiyenze has been updating the public on her social media pages that she has been paying the money that was raised to MP Shah.

But according to a statement from credit department, all she has paid to MP Shah from 2018 to date is only Sh50,056 and the payments were non-cancer related.

Oketch and Kaya have since reported the matter to Parklands Police Station under OB (OB No 62 of 8/07/2019).

Shiyenze apologised to the two and told them that she was sorry for putting them through her wacky ways.

“I am sorry for putting you in that situation, putting you in a mess, I didn’t know my whack ways would soon catch up with me,” she said.