By John Mutiso
Police have arrested 29 suspects, including chiefs, civil servants, and a terror suspect, in a nationwide crackdown on a sophisticated forgery network responsible for producing counterfeit identification documents, land titles, and official government letters.
Authorities say the racket poses serious risks to citizens, financial institutions, and national security.
The arrests follow weeks of coordinated intelligence operations targeting syndicates operating in both urban and rural areas. Investigators say the network involved multiple actors who collaborated to create documents later passed off as genuine.
Among those detained are three chiefs accused of participating in the forgery of citizenship documents. Police described the network as a major threat to the integrity of national records.
“Citizenship documents must be protected, and that is why we are determined to crack this gang,” an officer involved in the operation said.
A terror suspect is also among the detainees, having acquired a crucial document through the network.
Detectives are pursuing additional individuals believed to have supported the suspect, and early findings suggest that several people were involved in the production and distribution of forged documents.
The fake papers include national IDs, birth certificates, land titles, and government letterheads—items that authorities say have already caused significant financial losses.
Banks and unsuspecting Kenyans have reportedly lost millions of shillings in fraudulent transactions supported by forged documents.
“They have also defrauded unsuspecting Kenyans of millions of shillings. We are pursuing more suspects involved in the cases,” said an official familiar with the investigations.
Police spokesman Michael Muchiri warned that operations would continue until the entire network is dismantled. “These people need to know what awaits them. It amounts to, among other things, economic sabotage,” he said.
Muchiri added that numerous fake documents recovered during the raids had been destroyed, while more suspects remain under active investigation.
In a separate but related case, detectives arrested a civil servant stationed at the State Department for Cabinet Affairs for allegedly forging the signature of a top government official.
The suspect is accused of delivering a falsified letter to the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) listing “state-recommended candidates” for police recruitment.
Police say the officer had been running a side business producing fake documents, and further investigations revealed a history of similar misconduct.
He is already under suspension following an earlier case at the Kahawa Law Courts, where he allegedly forged a letter promoting himself to director and transferring himself to the State Department for Housing.
Detectives said he attempted to evade arrest by switching off all his known phone lines.
All suspects are being held at various police stations across the country ahead of arraignment. Police confirmed that multi-agency operations will continue, with investigators emphasising the need to protect the integrity of national documentation systems and restore public trust.
Authorities say the expanded crackdown is aimed at preventing further fraud and closing loopholes exploited by criminal networks, including some security personnel implicated in aiding foreigners previously declared unlawfully present by courts.
