Police in Kadzandani, Mombasa, have broken up an alleged dairy distribution fraud after arresting a woman who received a police-controlled delivery of milk stock on July 19, 2025. The arrest followed weeks of irregular bulk orders placed with Mayford Investment’s Mombasa Depot by a new client, identified to the company as Geoffrey Gema Waweru.
Staff flagged concerns after unusually frequent purchases between July 5 and 18 that totalled about KSh1,855,400. Payment confirmations sent to the supplier looked like mobile money messages but did not match official transaction records. Investigators say the messages were falsified and came from an Airtel line rather than approved payment channels.
Working with police, Mayford arranged a final controlled drop of 150 cartons to a location in Mtopanga, Kadzandani, on July 19. Officers shadowed the delivery vehicle and detained the recipient, identified as Susan Mawiya, moments after the consignment changed hands.
Mawiya later led officers to two nearby single-room stores linked to the scheme. Inside, they recovered 1,555 cartons of milk valued at roughly KSh960,232. The stock has been secured as evidence while a full audit is conducted to match recovered goods to disputed orders. The gap between recovered inventory and the KSh1.8 million in flagged orders suggests additional consignments may already have moved.
Investigators are now seeking Waweru, believed to have coordinated the fraudulent procurement pattern, and are tracing accomplices who may have diverted product into the retail market. Digital forensics teams are reviewing handset data, payment trails, and dispatch documentation to map the network.
The case renews concern about weaknesses in Kenya’s dairy supply chain, where release of goods often hinges on screenshot payment confirmations. Businesses are urged to verify large transactions directly against till or paybill statements, restrict dispatches to cleared funds, and institute multi-step approval for new bulk buyers. Training frontline sales staff to spot altered SMS templates and cross-network spoofing can reduce exposure.
Integrating real-time API validation between mobile money platforms and enterprise systems would close many loopholes. Firms should reconcile inventory daily, flag cumulative order thresholds, and alert law enforcement immediately when mismatches arise. Anyone with information on Waweru’s whereabouts should contact police. Further arrests are possible as inquiries continue. Economic crimes detectives are expanding surveillance across high-volume food commodity corridors at the Coast and inland hubs as similar digital fraud attempts have been reported in other agri-supply chains.
