Salim Swaleh, the Director of Press Service in the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs (OPCS-MFDA), was arrested on Saturday, June 23, 2024.
Swaleh’s arrest follows the discovery of suspected swindlers operating from his office, equipped with fake door switch nametags.
The secretary for strategic communication at OPCS-MFDA, Peter Warutere, confirmed in a statement on Sunday that several individuals, including both fraudsters and government officers, were apprehended alongside Swaleh.
Warutere detailed that a cabal of fraudsters, facilitated by corrupt government officials, was found to be exploiting the OPCS-MFDA office at the Kenya Railways Building for nefarious activities.
“Following a tipoff, intense surveillance was mounted at the OPCS-MFDA Railways Office, leading to the arrest of these individuals who were involved in impersonation and misuse of government facilities,” Warutere stated.
The group had been masquerading as VIP guests and government officers, using falsified identities to gain access to the office and conduct their scams.
The investigation revealed that the fraudsters primarily targeted foreign nationals, luring them into the Railways Building under the guise of arranging meetings with high-ranking officials.
The victims were deceived into believing they could secure government favours in exchange for bribes.
Swaleh’s office was found to be a hub for these illicit activities, where the swindlers had set up shop with fake door switch nametags to create a facade of legitimacy.
Warutere explained that government officers involved in the scam had been “renting” their office spaces to the criminals, either by vacating their offices or by misrepresenting their identities and roles.
The operation was sophisticated enough to include the swapping of legitimate office nametags with fake ones to further their deceitful acts.
When confronted, the fraudsters had the audacity to attempt to bribe their way out of the situation.The incident has sparked a broader investigation to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy and to identify additional individuals who may have been involved.
