Former Director of Press Service at the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Salim Swaleh, has detailed how he was forced to quit his job after allegations of a KSh 5.8 million fraud case.
According to Swaleh, his colleagues changed the office banner to impersonate him and dupe investors who wanted to speak to Musalia Mudavadi.
Speaking in an interview with The Kenya Times, Swaleh recounted the day that led to his arrest and his exit from the senior government office.
“Those guys had ulterior motives. When I was down there, they changed the door banner and put a different one. They had brought other people. I don’t even know them,” said Swaleh
Swaleh has defended himself, saying that he was only performing his official communications duties and was not involved in any fraudulent activity.
Alleged Investor Meeting and Role of Impersonation
According to Swaleh, the incident began on June 23, 2024, when he received a call from a senior official informing him about a scheduled interaction with investors.
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He says he proceeded to prepare for what he believed was a legitimate engagement linked to the office of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
The situation changed when individuals allegedly altered the office door, creating confusion about the identities of the participants since the individuals introduced themselves as government officials to the investors.
“They came to see the Prime when they were looking for those contracts. And those guys said, since we don’t have access here, let’s go. They changed the door banners. The Prime officials came to see. Because I think they introduced themselves to those investors as government officials. Some of them told me they were government officials,” added Swaleh
Swaleh insists that at no point did he benefit from any fraudulent arrangement, and that he believed all parties involved were genuine representatives.
How Salim Swaleh was offered Several Jobs in 2022
Following the 2022 General Election, he received several job offers from senior political leaders and had to choose between competing roles despite having another job.
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Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika, who he says offered him a position as Chief Officer for ICT in Nakuru County, and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi offered him the role as the Director of Communications.
After he was arrested following the fraud allegations, he was forced to quit his role as Director of Communications in the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary.
“In 2022, I had a lot of friends after the elections. I had two jobs that I was to choose and the third one I already had. My good friend, Susan Kihika, my governor in in Nakuru County, gave me a job as a chief officer, which is equivalent to a PS in the Ministry of National Affairs. So she gave me a job as a chief officer at the ICT and on the other side, Musalia offered me the position of director of communications. And I had other jobs that I was doing. So after choosing, I got an exam in 2024 when we got arrested, I had to quit my job. There were a lot of accusations. We went to court, even when it came to the plea-taking, we were never charged. It was office politics. Somebody just didn’t like how close I was to my boss and my friend,” added Swaleh.
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