A businessman who claims to have lost KSh61.8 million in an alleged fraudulent government ambulance supply deal has told a Nairobi court how a document bearing the purported signature of Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo helped convince him that he had secured a government contract.
Talal Yousef Zaitoun, a foreign businessman, testified before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Theresa Nyangena on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, that he believed he had been cleared to supply 500 high-roof diesel Toyota Hiace ambulances to the Kenyan government after receiving a pre-qualification document bearing Dr Omollo’s signature.
However, the businessman said he later began questioning the authenticity of the arrangement after completing several financial transactions and paying USD 470,750, equivalent to approximately KSh61.8 million.
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Part of the money, he told the court, went towards legal and professional service fees allegedly demanded in connection with the purported contract.
Zaitoun said his suspicions grew to the extent that he decided to share the details of the transaction with his elder brother, Hatim Yousef, on March 7, 2026. He presented him with the contract, the pre-qualification document and details of the payments he had made.
Despite his concerns, the businessman said he was not entirely convinced at the time that he had been conned.
“I went to my elder brother, and I explained to him the whole story. At this point I was not a hundred per cent sure it’s a scam,” he told the court.
How Omollo’s name emerged
According to Zaitoun, he and his brother subsequently searched online for the people whose signatures appeared on the pre-qualification document.
Their search established that one of the signatories was Dr Omollo, although they could not find information about the other individual.
The businessman said comparing the signature on the document with publicly available signatures of the PS raised further doubts about whether it was genuine.
His brother then suggested that they contact the PS’s office to establish whether the individuals they had been dealing with were officially connected to the government.
Zaitoun told the court that he searched for the office telephone number online and spoke to a receptionist, who promised to provide him with the contact details of the PS’s personal assistant.
He was subsequently given the number of Collins Okendi, whom he said asked him to explain his dealings with the individuals involved, including the dates of meetings he had attended at Harambee House.
According to the witness, Okendi promised to follow up on the matter and check CCTV footage based on the information provided before getting back to him.
Zaitoun further testified that he was scheduled to return to Kenya on March 10, 2026, accompanied by his elder brother, who had been introduced as an investor willing to pay for insurance allegedly demanded in connection with the ambulance contract.
He said he had already agreed with some of the individuals involved to hold another meeting at Harambee House, where he intended to introduce his brother.
Seven face charges over alleged fraud
The businessman was testifying in a case involving seven people accused of conspiring to defraud him by falsely claiming they could help him secure a Kenyan government contract for the supply and delivery of 500 high-roof diesel Toyota Hiace ambulances.
The accused are Michael Musyoki Ngumbi, Evans Simotwo, Geofrey Were Odondi, Allan Mutahi Kariuki, Purity Njeri, Muniaro Jared Masinde and Kororia Simatwa.
According to the prosecution, the seven, alongside other individuals who have not been presented before the court, allegedly obtained USD 470,750 from Zaitoun between January 10 and February 23, 2026, within Nairobi County.
The prosecution further accuses Geofrey Were Odondi, jointly with another person not before the court, of obtaining the money through Lianyungang Chanta International Wood Company Limited by falsely promising to facilitate the ambulance supply contract.
The charge sheet states that the accused allegedly misrepresented their ability to secure the government deal, despite knowing that the claims were false.
The case places the disputed pre-qualification document, the alleged government contract and the KSh61.8 million payments at the centre of the ongoing proceedings.
Dr Omollo’s mention in the testimony does not, in itself, establish his involvement in the alleged fraud. The allegations against the seven accused persons remain before the court, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
