At least two chiefs are among 26 people to be charged with various offences after they were arrested for allegedly facilitating the illegal issuance of critical government documents.
They were arrested on Friday and Saturday in a meticulously coordinated and intelligence-led operation in Nairobi.
The suspects were allegedly implicated in the unlawful and unprocedural acquisition of vital government documents, including National Identity Cards, passports, birth certificates, and foreign/alien ID cards, among others.
Among those caught with a passport was a suspected terrorist, officials claimed, raising an alarm.
He later led the team to Eastleigh in Nairobi, where he said the process was made at a fee.
The two-day intelligence-led crackdown netted civil servants from the National Registration Bureau and the Directorate of Immigration, alongside chiefs, financiers of the illegal schemes, and middlemen who fast-tracked the issuance of these documents through corrupt channels.
The operation caused panic in the offices and among the brokers, some of whom left Nairobi on learning it was ongoing.
Investigations have uncovered a disturbing network of collusion, where civil servants brazenly bypassed laid-down procedures, exploiting their positions to facilitate the illicit registration and issuance of sensitive documents, police said.
“This criminal and greedy enterprise severely compromises the integrity of government systems and exposes the country to grave security risks, including the undocumented entry and exit of individuals,” said an official aware of the issue.
During the operation, detectives seized a significant haul of government documents and tools found hidden in the homes of some suspects, materials that should strictly remain within authorised government offices.
The recovered items included: Filled and blank National ID application forms, Fingerprint-taking equipment (slabs, rollers, and related instruments), Birth and Death Certificates, Passports, Official government stamps, and other registration materials.
All suspects were detained, undergoing multi-agency processing ahead of their arraignment on Monday, December 8, 2025.
This operation underscores the unwavering commitment of law enforcement agencies to safeguard the integrity of government systems and hold accountable all those who exploit them for personal gain, the police said.
The detectives said a number of investigations by a multi-agency team are already ongoing to nip the scam in the bud.
Some security officials have also been accused of colluding with aliens to get into the country, and also failing to repatriate foreigners declared by courts as unlawfully present in the country.
Sources said special attention is now being paid to the trend, and more arrests are expected in the coming days.
This will also lead to the confiscation and destruction of the documents seized from the foreigners and those undeserving.
by CYRUS OMBATI
