Musalia Mudavadi's press secretary Salim Swaleh arrested for alleged fraud

Mr Salim Swaleh, the director of press in the office of Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi, was arrested on Saturday, June 22, over allegations of fraud.

Mr Mudavadi's office confirmed the arrest on Sunday after suspected fraudsters were found at the Kenya Railways building with fake door switch nameplates.

In a statement dated June 23, 2024, Strategic Communications Secretary Peter Warutere said several suspected fraudsters and government officials were also arrested alongside Mr Swaleh.

"A cabal of fraudsters and government officials who facilitated their operations at OPCS-MFDA (The Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary & Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs) at the Kenya Railways building were arrested yesterday, (Saturday, June 22).

"Further investigations by relevant law enforcement agencies are ongoing to track down and arrest other conspirators who may have been involved," read part of the statement signed by Mr Warutere.

"The arrests were made following a tip-off that alerted the OPCS-MFDA security, who then mounted intense surveillance at the OPCS-MFDA Railway Office to disrupt the reported nefarious acts of impersonation and misuse of the facility by the fraudsters."

The arrests were made following a tip-off that alerted Mr Mudavadi's security, who then mounted intensive surveillance at the Railway Office to disrupt the reported nefarious acts of impersonation and misuse of the facility by the fraudsters.

The bureau added that further investigations by relevant law enforcement agencies are ongoing to identify and arrest other conspirators who may have been involved.

"The surveillance involved the tracking of a group of people posing as visitors who individually entered the railway building at different dates and times," the statement added.

'Fake VIPs'

According to Mr Warutere, the suspected fraudsters pretended to be Very Important People (VIP) guests or government officials, as well as the officials they claimed to be visiting.

"Their victims were mainly foreigners who were directed to the Railways Building to allegedly meet with senior government officials to obtain favours in exchange for bribes," he said.

Mr Mudavadi's office has also reported that when the officials were arrested, they tried to bribe their way out.

Bribe their way out

"After being smoked out at one of the OPCS-MFDA Railway offices where the fraudsters had lain in wait for their victims on Saturday, the group dared to try and bribe their way out," the statement said.

It said the arrested government officials had perfected the art of "renting" office space to criminals, either by vacating their offices for use by the fraudsters or by misrepresenting themselves.

"This deception also included replacing legitimate nameplates on office doors with fake ones to facilitate the fraud," he added.

The OPCS-MFDA has also appealed for any information that would expose any corrupt activities within the ministry.

 The media personality, who has worked with several media houses in the country, was appointed as the Director of Communications in the Office of the Cabinet Secretary in January 2023 and was responsible for communications in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Before joining Mudavadi's press team, he was the ICT, e-government and public communications chief officer for Nakuru County.

Swaleh's responsibilities included establishing and driving a multi-channel communications strategy, preparing and managing all communications materials, developing a brand voice and maintaining brand integrity across all platforms.

Other responsibilities included managing media relations and developing contacts with media houses and influencers.

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