Journalists from the Standard Group and Mediamax Network Limited were assaulted on Friday, March 20, while covering a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) meeting in Cherangany, Trans Nzoia County.
The attacks came shortly after media reports exposed a “fake ambulance deal” linked to Harambee House.
The controversy centers on allegations that seven suspects defrauded two Swedish nationals through a fictitious tender to supply 500 Toyota Hiace High Roof ambulances.
According to reports, two of the suspects were employed in the Ministry of Interior, while two others were allegedly aides to Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang.
Journalists Attacked at UDA Meeting in Cherangany
Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang has since dismissed links to a high-profile fraud case involving seven suspects arrested at Harambee House.
Chesang also denied any knowledge of, or association with, the suspects said to be attached to his office.
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Through his lawyers, the lawmaker disputed his office’s involvement and termed the claims 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.”
Chesang argued that he was not afforded an opportunity to respond, adding that the claims were intended to taint his public image.
DCI Clarifies on Arrest of 7 Suspects Over KSh60 Million Scam at Harambee House
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) also clarified that the suspects were external fraudsters who illegally accessed government facilities to con foreign investors.
In a statement issued on March 20, 2026, the DCI said the suspects were arrested on March 10 after detectives received credible intelligence that a group had unlawfully accessed a boardroom on the 12th floor of Harambee House while posing as officials from the Ministry of Interior, the National Treasury, and the Ministry of Health.
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Investigations revealed that the scheme began on January 10, 2026, when a Swedish national received an unsolicited WhatsApp message requesting the company catalogue, which later linked him to Geoffrey Were, presented as a consultant working with government entities.
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, and the case is scheduled for mention on April 1, 2026.
