There was drama when seven suspects were on Monday arrested at Harambee House, the Office of the President in Nairobi, after investigators disrupted a meeting linked to a fraudulent government ambulance supply tender that allegedly defrauded a Swedish businessman of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The seven are Micheal Musyoki Ngumbi, Evans Simotwo, Geoffrey Were Odondi, Allan Mutahi Kariuki, Purity Njeri Njamiu, Jared Muniaro Masinde and Kororia Simatwa.
Detectives established that the suspects were negotiating another deal when officers moved in and arrested them on the 12th floor of the government building.
They were presented in court for a miscellaneous application as investigators work on their file pending possible prosecution.
A court allowed police to hold them for five days until March 17, 2026 for the mention of the case.
Police had asked for 14 to hold the seven suspects.
A lawyer who received the money on behalf of the suspects is among those being sought.
The police told the court they are investigating conspiracy to defraud contrary to Section 317 of the Penal Code, obtaining by false pretences, contrary to Section 313 Laws of Kenya, acquisition of proceeds of crime, contrary to Section 4(a) as read with Section 16(1) of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, use of proceeds of crime, contrary to Section 4(b) as read with Section 16(1) of the Proceeds of Crime and Ant-Money Laundering Act, and possession of proceeds of crime, contrary to Section 4(b) as read with Section 16(1) of the Proceeds of Crime and Ant-Money Laundering Act in which all the Respondents, with others who are yet to apprehended, are suspects of different levels and aspects of participation.
The complainant is a Swedish national who was tricked into believing that he would get a tender from the government of Kenya to supply it with 500 ambulances. On that belief, the complainant has already been defrauded of USD470,750, which is equivalent to Sh60,867,975.00.
“Some of the offenders had presented themselves to the complainant as senior government officials with the capacity to convene meetings and enter into contractual agreements on behalf of the government with foreign investors and business people.”
“On this basis, and through other fraudulent tricks, the complainant was invited by some of the suspects to meetings at Harambee House. Indeed, the Respondents were arrested at Harambee House after one such meeting,” the police affidavit read.
They added it is imperative for them to investigate the breach that resulted in the convening of meetings aimed at criminal purposes at a government premises that houses, among others, the office of the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, and the Office of the President, and which is gazetted as a protected government installation.
“Several other persons, yet to be apprehended, whether government officials or otherwise, may have been involved, which advises even a more thorough investigation.”
They added there is a need to interview senior government officials who may be difficult to trace and record statements from due to their busy schedules.
Investigators say the suspects used forged documents, impersonation of government officials and fake legal entities to convince the businessman he had secured a legitimate government contract.
Authorities say the probe is ongoing and more suspects could be arrested as detectives trace the financial trail and determine the role of insiders linked to the Office of the President.
The complainant, Talar Yousef Yousef Zaitoun, a Swedish citizen and businessman based in Stockholm, is the owner of Jokara AB, a company involved in exporting timber and machinery from Sweden to African markets.
He told police the ordeal began on January 10, 2026 when he received a WhatsApp message from a person identifying himself as Stanley Ndawula, using a Ugandan phone number, requesting a catalogue of products from his company.
A day later, Zaitoun was contacted by another individual identified as Geoffrey Were, using a Kenyan phone number. Were introduced himself as a consultant working with Interlog Corporate, claiming to facilitate business between the Kenyan government and private companies.
Were informed the businessman of a government tender opportunity involving the supply of ambulances.
On January 19, Were informed Zaitoun that the Government of Kenya was seeking to procure ambulances.
After expressing interest, the Swedish businessman submitted a quotation on January 31, 2026, proposing to supply Toyota Hiace High Roof ambulances priced at USD65,500 per unit, including specifications and photographs.
He was subsequently invited to travel to Kenya for further engagements.
Zaitoun arrived in Kenya on January 26, 2026, through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight.
He was received by Geoffrey Were and a driver identified as Nicho, who took him to Radisson Blu Hotel Arboretum, where he stayed until January 30.
On January 27, Zaitoun was escorted to Harambee House for a meeting with several individuals including Michael and Geoffrey, who introduced themselves as representatives of government agencies including the National Treasury and the Ministry of Health.
During the meeting, he was informed that the ambulances were required for delivery to Mombasa and that before signing the contract he had to meet certain financial requirements.
He was told the total contract value stood at USD 36,025,000 and that he had to provide either a performance bond or insurance coverage.
Zaitoun opted to pay a 3 percent insurance coverage, amounting to USD 1,080,750, instead of the performance bond.
He was also told there was an additional 2 percent ledger fee worth USD 360,250, which he was informed would be shared between him and the government.
The suspects also allegedly demanded a pre-qualification fee, offering two optionsUSD 90,000 for qualification for a single government contract within five years and USD 110,000 for qualification for multiple contracts within the same period. Zaitoun said he chose the USD 110,000 package.
On January 30, 2026, the money was transferred from a sister company in China — Lianyungang Chanta International Wood Co. Ltd — to an Ecobank Kenya account in the name of the wanted lawyer.
He was issued with invoices and documents including a certificate of incorporation, company search records and identification documents allegedly belonging to the law firm.
After the payment, he received a pre-qualification certificate indicating that the tender had been awarded to his company. However, the document showed the award date as October 22, 2025, raising suspicion. He was allegedly assured that such documentation was usually backdated.
Despite returning to Sweden, the suspects continued pressing him to pay the remaining insurance coverage fees, claiming the Kenyan government had already paid its portion.
Following negotiations, the businessman transferred additional amounts on February 1, including USD 48,392, USD 51,607, USD 80,000.
Further payments were made on February 25, including, USD 55,285.22, USD 55,438.3 and USD 69,275.95.
All the funds were wired from the same Chinese company to the Ecobank account provided by the suspects.
Zaitoun later became suspicious after the suspects repeatedly changed conditions and explanations regarding the payments. Independent due diligence also revealed that the pre-qualification certificate was fraudulent.
On March 9, 2026, Zaitoun returned to Kenya with his brother Hatim.
They were again received by Geoffrey and the same driver before being taken back to Radisson Blu Hotel.
The following day, they proceeded to Harambee House for another meeting with Geoffrey, Michael and other suspects when the arrest was staged.
This is the latest such incident to happen on fraud amid efforts to address the trend.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
