The Director of Press Service at the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Salim Swaleh Abdallah, will spend the night behind bars.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Swaleh and five others will be detained at Capital Hill Police Station.
In the statement on Monday, June 24, 2024, ODPP explained that Swaleh and five others will be detained pending a court ruling on whether they will be detained for 14 days to allow for investigations into fraudulent activities.
This is after ODPP filed an application seeking orders to temporarily detain the prominent journalist alongside Otieno Japolo Michael, Terry Kemunto Sese, Daniel Omondi Gogo, John Musundi Wabomba and James William Mokoha.
“The Investigating Officer (IO) in this case informed the court the six were arrested on Saturday, June 22, 2024, at the Office Prime Cabinet Secretary in Nairobi after they allegedly lured foreign investors in the country with the aim of securing a tender to construct two stadia for the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Games,” the statement read in part.
“The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has awarded Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania the hosting rights for this tournament.”
Swaleh’s involvement
According to ODPP, Swaleh paved the way for the investors allowing the other respondents to hold a meeting with the foreigners where Otieno Japolo Micheal personated himself as the chairman of the Government Delivery Unit at the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, and promised to assist the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national to speed up the alleged tender.
While appearing in court on Monday, June 24, 2024, Prosecution counsel James Gachoka indicated that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are investigating offences of Conspiracy to commit a felony, attempt to obtain money by false pretence, personating a person employed in the Public Service, and abuse of office.
He has since appealed to the court to grant the investigating officer 14 days to allow him to complete the investigations before the respondents are charged in court.
“According to the investigations reports the respondents were to part with Ksh5,850,000 as registration fee before securing the tender,” ODPP further stated.
However, Senior Principal Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi is expected to make a ruling on this applicable Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
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