Seven suspects were on Wednesday evening remanded in custody after being dramatically arrested at Harambee House, the iconic government complex that houses President William Ruto’s office, following an elaborate scheme in which a foreign national was swindled out of USD 470,750 (Ksh 60,867,975) through a fictitious government tender to supply 500 ambulances.
The suspects namely Michael Musyoki Ngumbi, Evans Simotwo, Geoffrey Were Odondi, Allan Mutahi Kariuki, Purity Njeri Njamiu, Muniaro Jared Masinde, and Kororia Simatwa, were arrested on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, following a sting operation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Operation Support Unit.
They were arraigned before the Chief Magistrate’s Court at Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi in Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 1184 of 2026, where the DCI detectives sought orders to detain them for 14 days more days at Capitol Hill Police Station to allow investigators to complete their probe.
The DCI told the court the complainant, a foreigner whose identity was not disclosed, had been lured into believing he would secure a lucrative government contract to supply ambulances to Kenya.
The court heard that the suspects had impersonated senior government officials, convincing the complainant they had the authority to convene meetings and execute contracts on behalf of the State.
“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,” the application states.
The elaborate fraud began with a person claiming to be a Ugandan national using a Uganda-registered phone number, who then connected the victim to the local suspects.
In an affidavit filed in court by Inspector George Karanja say this detail points to possible links with an international criminal syndicate.
The court heard that the suspects were reportedly meeting the complainant inside Harambee House itself, a gazetted protected government installation that houses, among others, the office of the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government.
“It is imperative for the Applicant 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,” the DCI’s application stated.
They were arrested there after one such meeting.
The revelation that suspected fraudsters were freely conducting criminal business inside one of Kenya’s most fortified government buildings, and doing so repeatedly, has raised pointed questions about whether they had inside help.
Investigators told the court that several other suspects, believed to be either government officials or individuals with privileged access to Harambee House, were yet to be apprehended.
Investigators further told the court that the security breach at Harambee House may run deeper than the seven arrested suspects.
“Several other persons, yet to be apprehended, whether government officials or otherwise, may have been involved, which advises even a more thorough investigation,” the DCI told the court.
The suspects face charges of conspiracy to defraud, obtaining by false pretences, and three counts linked to money laundering, acquisition, use, and possession of proceeds of crime, all under Kenya’s Penal Code and the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act.
The State urged the court to keep all seven in custody, warning they posed a significant flight risk.
“The fact that the offences under investigation were committed in a more derogatory manner, including breaching national security, would motivate the respondents to abscond from the country,” investigators argued in their application.
Investigators also warned the suspects could interfere with witnesses and may have access to international safe havens given the syndicate’s apparent cross-border reach.
The matter was placed before the magistrate shortly before 5 p.m., leaving little time for a substantive ruling.
“Due to lack of time, I will deliver my ruling tomorrow. The accused will remain remanded,” the magistrate said.
The seven suspects will remain in custody at Capitol Hill Police Station as the court prepares to rule on Thursday on whether investigators will be granted the requested 14-day detention period.
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