NAIROBI, Kenya- The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has released a detailed account of how suspects orchestrated a Sh60.8 million fake ambulance tender scam from inside Harambee House, the high‑security government complex that houses the Office of the President and the Ministry of Interior.
The revelation has sparked national concern about security lapses and the audacity of fraudsters to use state premises to defraud a foreign investor.
According to court filings and the DCI’s statement, the fraud began in early January 2026, when a Swedish businessman, Talar Yousef Zaitoun, who runs a Stockholm‑based firm, was approached via WhatsApp by an individual claiming to be a business facilitator with deep government contacts.
The contact initially came from a Ugandan‑registered phone number and quickly shifted to local Kenyan numbers once the victim expressed interest in government tenders.
The suspects, investigators said, immediately began crafting a façade of government legitimacy.
They introduced themselves to Zaitoun as representatives of entities such as the National Treasury and the Ministry of Health, using official‑looking titles and forged documentation.
By mid‑January, they had convinced him that his company had been pre‑qualified to supply 500 Toyota Hiace ambulances to the Government of Kenya.
PRESS STATEMENT
Zaitoun was flown into Nairobi and met his contacts at Harambee House on January 27.
There, the suspects used conference rooms, including on the 12th floor of Harambee House, reserved for high‑level meetings, to conduct what appeared to be official negotiations.
They presented forged letters of award, fake pre‑qualification certificates, and tender documents that appeared authentic, all designed to maintain the illusion of an authorised government process.
Over subsequent meetings, Zaitoun was persuaded to transfer funds as “processing fees” and “facilitation payments.”
By the first week of March, he had wired a total of USD 470,750 (about Sh60.8 million) into accounts controlled by the syndicate, including corporate accounts linked to shell entities.
Unaware of the deception, Zaitoun and his brother returned to Harambee House on March 10 for what they believed was a final negotiation and signing ceremony.
But this time, the DCI had been monitoring movements after receiving complaints and intelligence about the unfolding fraud.
Detectives laid an ambush in the 12th-floor meeting room and arrested seven individuals mid‑meeting.
The suspects, Michael Musyoki Ngumbi, Evans Simotwo, Geoffrey Were Odondi, Allan Mutahi Kariuki, Purity Njeri Njamiu, Muniaro Jared Masinde, and Kororia Simatwa, were arraigned at Milimani Law Courts and remanded in custody as the investigation continues.
Prosecutors are pursuing offences that include conspiracy to defraud, obtaining money by false pretences, and money laundering.
In a statement issued on March 20, the DCI addressed rising speculation about government complicity, asserting that the syndicate were external fraudsters, not serving government officials, and that no active civil servant was implicated in facilitating the illicit meetings.
The agency acknowledged, however, that one of the arrested suspects had previously held a junior government position, a detail it clarified did not equate to official endorsement of the scam.
The incident has exposed serious vulnerabilities in security protocols at Harambee House, where private citizens reportedly gained entry and conducted multiple meetings over weeks without detection.
Authorities are now auditing visitor logs and access procedures to determine how the suspects repeatedly accessed restricted areas and whether more individuals, possibly with privileged access, remain at large.
The case has sent shockwaves through business and diplomatic circles, raising concerns about investor confidence and the integrity of Kenya’s procurement frameworks.
Investigators are pursuing further arrests and working to trace and recover the funds lost in what has become a national embarrassment.
