The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested two suspects in Magarini constituency, Kilifi county over an attempt to extort bribes during the ongoing Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment process.
The suspects, identified as Salim Mohamed Shekue and Fredrick Hamisi Baya, had falsely claimed that they possessed the capability to secure the complainant’s admission into the KDF and had managed to solicit and receive a sum of Sh250,000 from the individual.
“The suspects allegedly told the complainant that they had “very deep connections” at the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and duped him into giving them the demanded bribe,” EACC said.
The KDF hopeful had secured a bank loan amounting to Sh250,000, of which an initial sum of Sh200,000 was handed over to the two suspects.
The arrests took place while the suspects were in the process of receiving the remaining balance of Sh50,000 from the complainant. They alleged that upon full payment, they would facilitate the issuance of a purported admission letter.
The complainant reported that on July 30, 2023, Salim Mohamed Shekue, who claimed to have ties to the KDF, solicited the bribe through his intermediary, Fredrick Hamisi Baya.
On August 28, 2023, the suspects got in touch with the complainant and demanded the remaining Sh 50,000 to expedite the recruitment process claiming that failing to furnish this balance would result in the forfeiture of the complainant’s supposed opportunity to join the KDF.
The complainant reported the incident to the EACC Malindi office, leading to the arrest of the suspects.
Confirming the arrest, Eric Ngumbi, the Head of Corporate Affairs and Communication at EACC, said the suspects underwent processing at the EACC Offices in Malindi.
Meanwhile, the EACC has issued a cautionary statement to the general public, advising them to resist yielding to such bribery requests. They have further encouraged individuals to promptly report any suspected instances of bribery solicitations through the Toll-Free Number 1551.
