Detectives in Kitui Central have arrested four suspects linked to a fake Kenya Prisons Service tender scheme that cost a businessman Sh105,000.
According to investigators, the suspects carried out the scheme by posing as senior officers from the Kenya Prisons Service. They allegedly convinced the businessman that he had secured a tender to supply vegetables to Kitui GK Prisons.
Officials said the businessman realised something was wrong only after sending the money, by which time the funds had already been lost.
Detectives, who had been monitoring the group, moved in after gathering sufficient intelligence on their activities. They arrested the four inside a black Toyota Harrier.
A search of the vehicle recovered multiple documents believed to be used in the alleged scheme.
These included 37 fake Kenya Prisons Service tender approval forms and two fake Kenya Prisons Service job identification cards. Investigators also found eight mobile phones and six identity cards bearing different names.
Officials described the recovered items as tools used in an organised operation designed to mislead and defraud unsuspecting individuals seeking government tenders.
The four suspects have been placed in custody as investigations continue. Detectives said the next step is to establish whether the scheme had other victims and whether the group operated beyond Kitui County.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations stated that the arrests were part of an ongoing effort to dismantle fraudulent networks exploiting the public. The agency warned Kenyans to be cautious when approached with tender offers that appear unofficial or lack proper verification.
The four will be arraigned once detectives complete their inquiries. Meanwhile, investigators are urging anyone who may have been targeted in a similar scheme to report to the nearest police station to aid ongoing investigations.
The arrests come as detectives continue to uncover multiple large-scale fraud operations where con artists posed as officials or misused forged documents to dupe unsuspecting contractors and businesses.
In 2024, detectives arrested a lawyer allegedly involved in a massive fake-tender scam that defrauded an American-based company of over Sh182 million.
The fraud ring allegedly issued fictitious tender documents, including supply, installation, or consultancy contracts, and convinced the victim to pay bid bonds and legal fees before disappearing.
In 2025, Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) issued a public warning after uncovering a scam involving impostors claiming to be its top executives.
These impersonators allegedly approached businesses and individuals with bogus tenders or job offers, preying on those hoping to win lucrative government-related contracts.
Also recently, a foreign national was arraigned at Milimani Law Courts on charges of using a fake tender and job-offer scam to swindle over Sh 1 million from a Nairobi businessman.
The scam reportedly mixed promises of energy-sector tenders (in a county) with employment opportunities at a major utility company, presenting a facade of legitimacy to lure the victim.
