Detectives Unearth Multi-Million Shilling SGR Ticket Scandal, Arrest Seven Suspects Including Three Chinese Officials

Seven suspects, including three senior Chinese officials and four Kenyans have been arrested in connection with a multi-million shilling Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) ticket scandal.

The seven were arrested on Friday after allegedly attempting to bribe Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives investigating the scam.

The suspects are said to have offered EACC detectives Sh500,000 in a bid to stop investigations into the matter, Sunday Nation reports.

The seven are currently held at the Port Police Station in Mombasa and will be paraded in court on Monday.

George Ojowi, the head of EACC in Mombasa says the three Chinese officers are in-charge of transport at the Mombasa SGR terminal.

The seven are employees of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) which runs the Madaraka Express passenger train between Mombasa and Nairobi.

They are accused of interfering with ticket booking system such that revenue collected is shared between the railway operator and a cartel of insiders.

Sunday Nation says the scheme involves creating refunds for tickets issued to passengers on board and wiring the cash elsewhere. The cartel allegedly uses the scheme to steals Sh1 million per day.