Senator Chesang dismisses links to Ksh.60M Harambee House tender scandal

Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang has dismissed links to a high-profile fraud case involving seven suspects arrested at Harambee House.

This after a report by a local publication on Friday alleged that the said suspects defrauded two foreign nationals, Talal Yousef Yousef Zaitoun and his brother Hatem Youssef Yousef Zaitoun - representatives of Swedish firm Jokara AB - in a fictitious tender deal involving the supply of 500 Toyota Hiace High Roof ambulances.

The report further alleged that two of the suspects were employed in Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo’s office, while two others were said to be Senator Chesang's aides.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) earlier on dismissed the claim that government officials were involved in the fraud case, terming the reports misleading and sensational.

Senator Chesang has now also denied any knowledge of, or association with, the suspects said to be attached to his office.

Through his lawyers, the lawmaker disputed his office’s involvement, also terming the claims as malicious and defamatory.

"The headline and misleading article, portray our client as being involved in a criminal racket and fraudulent scheme and impute that he is a mastermind or participant in corrupt and illegal dealings," his lawyers wrote.

"The publications further depict our client as a person devoid of any integrity and unfit to hold public office, thereby exposing him to public scandal, ridicule, contempt and odium."

He argued that he was not afforded an opportunity to respond, adding that the claims were targeted at tainting his public image.

"The impugned publications have severely injured his reputation, lowered him in the estimation of right-thinking members of society, exposed him to public suspicion and ridicule, and caused him immense distress, embarrassment and reputational damage," his lawyers further noted.

The DCI had clarified that the arrested individuals, were not government officials but external fraudsters posing as senior officials from key government institutions, including the Ministry of Interior, the National Treasury, and the Ministry of Health.

The investigative agency added that further probe revealed that they exploited Harambee House to dupe foreign investors after illegally accessing a boardroom on the 12th floor.

The suspects were arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts on March 16, 2026, where they faced multiple charges, including conspiracy to defraud, obtaining money by false pretences, acquisition of proceeds of crime, and forgery. 

They pleaded not guilty and were released on a bond of Ksh.3 million each or an alternative cash bail of Ksh.300,000, with two sureties required. Their passports were surrendered to the court.