MACHAKOS, Kenya – Detectives attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a suspect in connection with the forgery of a letter from the State Department of Transport.
The detectives based at the Serious Crime Unit apprehended Richard Kirui Bongei, the Principal Engineer at the Ministry of Housing in Athi River, Machakos County.
“His arrest follows the conclusion of a comprehensive investigation into a complaint of forgery lodged by the State Department of Transport in relation to a “Renewal of Local Agreement Terms” letter dated May 6, 2024 and purportedly signed by a senior government official,” a statement from the DCI reads in part.
The forged document, which sought to award Capt. Martyne Luther Lunani, a three-year extension as the Director of Aircraft Accident Investigation at the Ministry of Roads and Transport, was flagged by the State Department of Transport and forwarded to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for forensic analysis.
“Document forensic examination experts established that the letter was indeed a forged document and confiscated it as evidence,” the DCI further disclosed.
Additionally, forensic trails subsequently linked the document to Richard Bongei, leading to his arrest.
“He has since been processed and is scheduled for arraignment today. Meanwhile, detectives are pursuing Capt. Lunani, who is still at large, to answer to the charges of forgery of an official document,” the DCI added.
DCI detectives pounce on other suspects
On October 30, 2025, a daring quartet of con artists masquerading as officials from the Social Health Authority (SHA) was apprehended after swindling a victim of Sh251,000 in a well-choreographed scam, the DCI announced.
The suspects, Peter Muriithi, Catherine Kinyua, Lilian Njeri, and Samuel Mbuthia, were arrested following a complaint from a man who thought he was signing up for a legitimate SHA membership.
“In a slick move, the fraudsters convinced him to surrender his mobile phone under the pretext of ‘completing the registration process’. Moments later, his world turned upside down. His phone suddenly went off, and attempts to restore service were futile,” the DCi reported.
Sensing trouble, he rushed to his Sacco only to be hit with the devastating news that his account had been wiped clean. A total of Sh251,000 had been syphoned out and transferred to mobile numbers linked to the impostors.
How the four SHA suspects were arrested
In a swift move, Law Enforcement Officers from Marimanti launched an operation that led to the arrest of the four suspects.
“A meticulous search unearthed a trove of incriminating items, including SHA-branded T-shirts, name tags, membership cards, informational leaflets and multiple SIM cards. A motor vehicle, KDP 267C, a Toyota Prado, believed to have been used in their fraudulent operations, was impounded,” said the DCI.
Also recovered was a number plate, KDS 399C, raising further suspicion about their activities.
The four suspects were moved to Marimanti Police Station, undergoing processing pending arraignment.
The DCI indicated that it had launched investigations to unearth possible accomplices and other victims who may have fallen prey to the gang’s deceitful tactics.
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