By Court News Staff Reporter
A man has been charged in a Nairobi court with defrauding Mediquip Global Limited of over Sh13 million in a fake cooking oil supply deal and laundering more than Sh6 million through his company.
Dickens Onyando Oluoch, also known by the aliases Paul and Thomas, appeared before Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina, where he faced multiple counts of obtaining goods by false pretence, forgery, conspiracy to defraud, and money laundering.
Fake Tender Scheme
According to the charge sheet, Oluoch allegedly obtained a consignment of Rina cooking oil worth Sh13,150,000 by falsely claiming to be an employee of the State Department for Regional Development of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) — a representation the prosecution said he knew to be false.
The court heard that the accused presented a forged Local Purchase Order (LPO) purportedly issued by the same government department to convince Mediquip Global Limited to supply the cooking oil.
Investigators revealed that the LPO was not genuine and had been fabricated to resemble official government procurement documents.
Money Laundering Allegations
The prosecution further told the court that between August 7 and September 12, 2023, within Kikuyu, Kiambu County, Oluoch laundered Sh6,104,000 through his company, Amdeen Investment & Logistics Limited, to conceal the proceeds of crime.
He allegedly received the funds from Mwaura Njenga Waititu, proprietor of Kamirithu and Shangila Wholesalers, and attempted to hide their origin by transferring them across different accounts.
Conspiracy to Defraud
In another count, Oluoch is accused of conspiring with others not before court to defraud Mediquip Global Limited of Sh14,830,000, pretending he could facilitate the supply and delivery of edible cooking oil to the State Department for Regional Development of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands.
The prosecution said the suspect’s elaborate scheme involved impersonation, forged documents, and fictitious tenders — hallmarks of high-level procurement fraud targeting private suppliers.
Court Proceedings
Appearing before Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina, Oluoch denied all charges.
The magistrate directed him to appear before another court handling a related case for bail and bond terms.
The case adds to a growing list of fraudulent procurement scandals involving fake government tenders and forged LPOs, which have seen private suppliers lose millions of shillings to well-organized syndicates.
EACC and DCI Warnings
Anti-graft investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have repeatedly warned businesses to verify government tenders through official channels before delivering goods or services.
According to DCI data, dozens of suppliers have fallen victim to similar scams where fraudsters impersonate state officials and use counterfeit documents to secure deliveries.