KILIFI, Kenya — Three suspected fraudsters have been arraigned before the Kilifi Chief Magistrate’s Court over an alleged multi-million-shilling procurement scam in which suppliers in Kilifi and Laikipia counties were reportedly defrauded of goods worth millions of shillings.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspects — Naftali Kimani Chege alias Ignatius Njenga, Kenneth Thuo Karanja alias Bosco Mbugua Ng’ang’a and Michael Munene — are accused of impersonating officials of the Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM) to obtain goods from suppliers without making payment.
Investigators allege that the trio used the false identity to convince businesses they were participating in legitimate procurement processes before taking delivery of the goods and disappearing.
In Kilifi County alone, detectives say six suppliers lost goods valued at approximately Sh14.95 million through the alleged scheme.
The goods reportedly obtained include cooking oil, rice, sanitary towels, bar soap and milk.
The investigation intensified after detectives conducted coordinated raids at offices allegedly rented by the suspects in the Rojo area of Kilifi County and in Nanyuki Town, Laikipia County.
During the operations, investigators recovered invoices, receipts, procurement records, supplier registration documents, SIM cards and banners bearing the name Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM). The recovered materials have been seized as exhibits to support the ongoing investigations.
Following their arrest in Nanyuki, the suspects were transferred to DCI Kilifi before being presented before the Kilifi Chief Magistrate’s Court.
The court granted detectives 21 days to continue holding the suspects as investigations into the alleged fraud continue.
The DCI said investigators are pursuing additional leads aimed at recovering the allegedly fraudulently acquired goods and identifying other individuals who may have participated in the scheme.
Authorities have urged businesses and suppliers to exercise due diligence when dealing with procurement requests by verifying the identity of organisations and officials before supplying goods, particularly in transactions involving large orders and public institutions.