Suspected NIS Impersonator Arrested as Minor is Rescued

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced the arrest of a 56-year-old man in Kiminini, Trans Nzoia County, suspected of child trafficking and impersonating a state officer. 

In a statement on Monday, April 6, the DCI said the arrest followed a tip-off from members of the public who reported a suspicious man seen with a young boy in Nyamira Village.

"Acting on a tip-off from members of the public, the officers responded to reports of an unfamiliar man seen at Nyamira Village in the company of a young boy. Upon arrival, detectives found the suspect, identified as Gilbert Nyabuto, in the company of a 10-year-old boy," the statement read.

Investigators said the suspect allegedly posed as a senior officer from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), presenting identification documents to support his claims. 

During a search, detectives uncovered materials that raised further suspicion about his activities.

"However, a search conducted on a backpack in his possession revealed assorted academic documents belonging to different individuals, as well as blank fake Kenya Defence Forces calling letters, raising suspicion over his activities," the statement added.

The suspect reportedly claimed he was assisting the child in securing accommodation when questioned by authorities. Both he and the minor were taken to Kiminini Police Station for further processing.

The child was later positively identified by his mother from the Salona area and has since been safely reunited with her.

The DCI confirmed that investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the suspect’s activities.

"The suspect remains in custody as detectives pursue further investigations to establish the full extent of his activities, including possible offences of impersonation and fraud," the statement concluded.

This comes days after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) arrested an individual accused of impersonating an officer from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in a fraudulent Ksh15 million tender scheme.

In a statement on Friday, March 27, the commission said the suspect misrepresented himself as a senior intelligence officer linked to a government development fund and used that position to convince the contractor to take up a project that did not exist.

"Investigations reveal that the suspect, Mr. Joel Wanyama Simiyu, falsely presented himself as a senior NIS officer attached to the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) Board and used this guise to deceive a construction firm into undertaking a non-existent project at Kaptis Primary Special School in Hamisi Sub-County, Vihiga County," the statement read.

According to EACC, to reinforce the credibility of the scheme, the suspect allegedly went as far as staging official-looking procedures, including documentation and technical oversight, to mislead the contractor into believing the project was legitimate.

"To legitimize the scheme, the suspect allegedly staged a fake project handover, complete with forged contract documents, and introduced an accomplice posing as an engineer to influence unauthorised project variations," the statement added.

1The contractor, convinced by the elaborate setup, proceeded with construction works and paid approximately Ksh1.4 million in what were presented as facilitation fees.

EACC noted that the fraudulent scheme came to light when the firm sought payment from the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) office in Hamisi and discovered that no such project had ever been approved.

"The fraud was uncovered when the firm sought payment from Hamisi NG-CDF, only to establish that no such project had been approved. The suspect later resurfaced and demanded an additional Kes20,000 bribe, claiming he would facilitate payment processing," the statement continued.

EACC officers later set up an operation that led to the suspect’s arrest while allegedly receiving the additional bribe.

"EACC officers apprehended the suspect while receiving the bribe. He was booked at Kisumu Central Police Station and released on Ksh20,000 cash bail pending further investigations," the statement further read.