A crackdown on corruption has seen several high-ranking officials from the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs (PCS-MFDA) arrested.
As statement released by the ministry on Sunday, June 23 confirmed that Salim Swaleh who serves as the Director of the Press service at the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary (OPCS) is among those arrested over alleged involvement in corruption.
According to the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Swaleh and his accomplices were part of a cartel behind fraudulent activities within the ministry's Railways Office in which foreigners were swindled and promised favours in exchange of hefty amounts of money.
"Those arrested include Salim Swaleh, Director of OPCS Press Service, in whose office the swindlers were found nested with fake door switch-nametags," read the statement in part.
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Details of the fraud scheme at Mudavadi's office targeting foreigners
The statement details that fraudsters posing as senior government officials or VIP guests were issued with fake passes to access the premises where they would meet their victims in an elaborate scheme.
Their activities were flagged to the relevant authorities who intensified surveillance before pouncing on the suspects.
"Upon being smoked out in one of the OPCS-MFDA Railway offices where the confidence tricksters had settled in wait for their victims on Saturday, the group had the audacity of attempting to bribe their way out," added the statement.
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Most of the victims of the scam were identified as foreigners who parted with hefty amounts of bribes in exchange of favours.
The allegations bear close resemblance to those of 2020 in which foreigners were swindled in the office of the Deputy President in the Sh40 Billion fake arms with the then Sports CS Rashid Echesa named in the scandal.
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Investigations were however dealt a blow when Sergeant Kipyegon Kenei was murdered in cold blood.