The Director of Criminal Investigation has filed a miscellaneous application seeking to detain the Director of Press at the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary Salim Swaleh and five others for 14 days to complete investigations into the extortion racket.

The suspects, who include Swaleh, Otieno Japolo Michael, Terry Kemunto Sese, Daniel Omondi Gogo, John Musundi Wabomba and James William Mokohawho were arrested on Sunday and are accused of obtaining money by false pretenses and abusing their positions.

According to Inspector Nicholas Njoroge who filed the application, the complainants in the matter, are foreigners from Dubai and South Africa, who were allegedly lured to Kenya under the pretense of securing a tender to construct two stadiums for the upcoming AFCON 2027 games.

The court heard that the complainants were allegedly defrauded of over 5 million shillings as a registration fee before securing the tender.

The detective  told the court that the complainants were led to believe that after a meeting at the Prime Cabinet Secretary’s office, they would meet government officials from the ministries of sports, interior, and youth affairs, as well as two senators from the budget and sports committees, to secure the stadium construction tender.

It is also alleged that once inside Swaleh’s office, he facilitated a meeting between the other suspects and the foreigners. During this meeting, the primary suspect falsely claimed to be the chairman of the Government Delivery Unit and offered to expedite the tendering process.

It is the prosecution’s case that the investigation requires more time to gather statements and verify company registration details from relevant offices in the UAE.

The prosecution argues that the suspects might interfere with the investigation if released, noting the complexity of the case due to the involvement of foreign nationals.