KITUI, Kenya — Detectives have arrested four suspects accused of swindling a businessman out of Sh105,000 in a staged Kenya Prisons Service tender scam, bringing to light a coordinated fraud ring that officials say may have targeted multiple victims.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the group—identified as Clement Wachira, Andrew Kimani, Ann Waweru, and Rehema Makandi—posed as senior Prisons officers and convinced the victim that he had secured a lucrative deal to supply vegetables to Kitui GK Prisons.
Investigators said the suspects executed the con with “the confidence of seasoned actors,” capitalising on forged identities and fabricated documents to win the businessman’s trust. By the time he became suspicious, the money had already been transferred.
DCI officers, who had reportedly been tracking the ring for weeks, intercepted the four inside a black Toyota Harrier (KCV 543W) believed to have been used during the scam. Inside the vehicle, detectives recovered an array of counterfeit documents and gadgets central to the operation.
A search yielded 37 fake Kenya Prisons Service tender approval forms, two counterfeit Kenya Prisons job IDs, six ID cards belonging to different individuals, and eight mobile phones, which investigators believe were used to coordinate the fraudulent activities.
The suspects are now in police custody pending arraignment, while detectives expand their probe to determine whether other members of the public were defrauded through similar schemes.
The DCI has urged Kenyans to exercise due diligence when approached with unsolicited tenders or procurement opportunities, particularly those requiring upfront payments, noting that government entities do not award contracts through informal channels.
