Kenyan authorities have uncovered a sophisticated fraud operation within the heart of the government, leading to the arrest of several individuals, including Salim Swaleh, a former respected NTV journalist and current Director of the Prime Cabinet Secretary’s Press Service.
The scam, which targeted primarily foreign visitors, involved a network of fraudsters and government officials who used the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs (OPCS-MFDA) as a base for their illegal activities.
According to a press release from the OPCS-MFDA, the arrests were made on Saturday, June 22, 2024, following an intense surveillance operation triggered by a tip-off. The fraudsters had been gaining access to the Kenya Railways building, where the OPCS-MFDA is housed, by falsifying their identities and posing as VIP guests or government officers.
“A cabal of fraudsters and Government officers who facilitated their operations at OPCS-MFDA at Kenya Railways building were arrested yesterday,” the statement read. “Further investigations by relevant law enforcement agencies are ongoing to track and arrest other conspirators who may have been involved.”
The scheme involved luring foreign victims into the government building under the pretense of meeting high-ranking officials, with the promise of favours in exchange for bribes. Government officers implicated in the scandal reportedly “rented” their office spaces to the criminals, either by vacating their offices or misrepresenting themselves.
In a particularly brazen move, the fraudsters were found to have switched legitimate name tags on office doors with fake ones to advance their scams. Salim Swaleh’s office appears to have been a key location in the operation, with the press release stating that “swindlers were found nested with fake door switch-nametags” in his office.
“The Government of Kenya has often reiterated its commitment to zero tolerance to corruption, especially so among its officers and that whenever such treacherous acts are identified, action should be swift, thorough and final,” the press release emphasized.
This incident has raised serious questions about security protocols in government institutions. The OPCS-MFDA has issued a stern warning to other government bodies, stating, “Government institutions are hereby cautioned to vet and oust disreputable Government officers abetting such criminal activity which appears pervasive due to lax securing of Government institutions and a growing appetite for quick money by public officers.”
The scandal is particularly damaging given the OPCS-MFDA’s role as “Kenya’s international image maker.”
