On July 24, 2025, Nairobi businessman Nasurdin Abdi Yussuf received a phone call he believed would transform his Kilimani-based travel and tours company. The call, he said, came from the Royal Thai Embassy.
According to Mr Abdi, the caller, Ms Joan Wanjiku Ngari, invited him to the Embassy to discuss a dealership arrangement. “On hearing that the Embassy was willing to work with my company, I rushed there to hear the details,” he told Nation .
He said he met Ms Ngari from 2 pm to 5 pm, with two other women present. The discussion involved his company, Campfire Chronicles Travel Tours and Safaris, financing travel for eight people to Bangkok, with reimbursement promised within 21 days.
He insisted on a 14-day payment window. But the Embassy last Friday denied authorising such an arrangement.
“Ms Ngari resigned on July 25, 2025, effective August 1, 2025. Any contract allegedly executed by her was done without our knowledge or authorisation and does not create a binding obligation on the Embassy,” said Natthapong Senanarong, Minister Counsellor (Commercial).
The Embassy said the matter had been referred to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the Diplomatic Police Unit.
Documents show the eight travellers were to attend a Bangkok forum organised by Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce and the Department of International Trade Promotion.
The list included Emily Jerop Silah, Josephine Ngina Masai, Martha Muthoni Migui, and Congolese nationals Bwira Ntabala Flavier, Banga Alain, and Peterson Luliba.
Mr Abdi said Ms Ngina later emailed him confirming the deal. He purchased tickets on July 25, paying from company accounts despite challenges with Thai-language details.
“To me, this was a mouth-watering deal, and I could not refuse,” he said.
When payment was not forthcoming, he made repeated visits to the Embassy in August but was denied entry.
By August 11, Mr Abdi visited the Embassy in person, only to learn that matters were not as straightforward as he believed. A security guard denied him entry after he requested to see Ms Ngari, claiming she was unavailable due to a meeting.
Over the next few days, repeated visits to the Embassy—on August 12 and 13—were met with similar refusals, citing a public holiday and lack of access even for appointments. Frustrated, Mr Abdi eventually sought legal help.
On August 15, his lawyers demanded Sh2.4 million and damages for breach of contract.
In response, the Embassy’s lawyer, Olukaka Derrick, rejected the claim as baseless. “Your client’s claim is entirely without merit and constitutes an attempt to improperly extract funds from a foreign mission,” the letter read, warning that further action could be deemed fraudulent.
