How 3 Kikuyu men posed as NGO officials and duped traders into supplying goods worth millions of shillings - Victims lost over Ksh 14 million (PHOTO)

Saturday, July 25, 2026 - Three suspected fraudsters have been arraigned before the Kilifi Chief Magistrate's Court over an elaborate multi-million-shilling scam that saw unsuspecting suppliers duped into delivering goods worth millions without payment across Kilifi and Laikipia counties.

The suspects, identified as Naftali Kimani Chege alias Ignatius Njenga, Kenneth Thuo Karanja alias Bosco Mbugua Ng'ang'a, and Michael Munene, are accused of impersonating officials of the Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM).

Under this guise, they allegedly lured suppliers into fraudulent procurement arrangements, obtained goods, and vanished without paying.

In Kilifi County alone, the suspects swindled six suppliers out of goods valued at Sh14,952,990, including cooking oil, rice, sanitary towels, bar soap, and milk, all obtained through false promises and fraudulent assurances of payment.

Investigations gathered momentum following coordinated raids by detectives at offices rented by the suspects in the Rojo area of Kilifi County and in Nanyuki Town, Laikipia County.

During the operation, detectives recovered invoices, receipts, procurement records, SIM cards, supplier registration documents, and banners bearing the name Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM).

All the recovered items have been seized as exhibits to support the ongoing investigations.

Following their arrest in Nanyuki Town, the suspects were escorted to DCI Kilifi and arraigned before the Kilifi Law Courts.

The court granted detectives 21 days to detain the suspects as investigations continue.

Detectives are also pursuing additional leads aimed at recovering the fraudulently obtained goods and identifying other suspects believed to have played a role in the scheme.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.