DCI Set to Arrest Tycoon Mohamed Jaffer, Sons at the Heart of Sh 4 Billion Worth of Fake Fuel Deal

Documents seen by our desk reveal that Solomon Esebwe Mwanjumwa Ondego, Nicholas Kokita, Mujtaba Mohamed Jaffer, Ali Abbas Jaffer, Mohamed Hussein Jaffer, Ali Salaah Balala, alongside Mbaraki Holdings Limited, are listed as directors of One Petroleum Limited

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are set to arrest Mombasa-based businessman Mohamed Hussein Jaffer and his sons as part of the widening probe into a multi-billion shilling fuel import scandal, according to investigators familiar with the case.

The planned arrests are aimed at compelling the individuals to record statements over their alleged links to One Petroleum Limited, a firm at the centre of claims involving irregular fuel imports and a controversial Sh3.5 billion gas cylinder tender.

Documents reviewed by our desk indicate that Mohamed Hussein Jaffer, alongside his sons Mujtaba Mohamed Jaffer and Ali Abbas Jaffer, are listed among directors of the company, together with Solomon Esebwe Mwanjumwa Ondego, Nicholas Kokita, Ali Salaah Balala, and Mbaraki Holdings Limited.

Investigators have flagged Solomon Ondego as one of the key individuals being sought, as authorities move to tighten the net around those believed to have played a role in the unfolding scandal.

One Petroleum Limited, registered under company number CPR/2010/36450, operates offices along Dedan Kimathi Road in Mombasa’s Mbaraki area and has been linked to a questionable Sh100 million petroleum import deal that detectives suspect may have been fraudulent.

The firm is also under scrutiny over a Sh3.5 billion gas cylinder tender that multiple sources claim was never executed, raising concerns about possible loss of public funds.

At the centre of the investigations is a suspicious fuel consignment aboard the vessel MV Paloma, which docked at the Port of Mombasa under unclear circumstances despite originally being destined for Angola.

Detectives believe the vessel, carrying over sixty thousand metric tonnes of fuel, was deliberately diverted into the Kenyan market, bypassing the government-to-government oil importation framework meant to ensure transparency and competitive pricing.

The cargo was reportedly offloaded between March 27 and March 29, 2026, with the fuel entering the local market before regulators could intervene.

According to investigators, the deal could have cost taxpayers nearly Ksh8 billion, with authorities suspecting it was part of a broader scheme to exploit a manufactured supply shortage.

Sources within investigative agencies indicate that several company directors are expected to be summoned, with possible criminal charges looming as the probe intensifies.

Further findings have also linked the company to alleged fuel price manipulation during the Iran crisis, where it is accused of importing fuel at nearly three times the government-to-government rate, potentially inflating pump prices by up to Sh19 per litre.

In addition, detectives are investigating claims that the firm was involved in the importation of substandard fuel, with a number of filling stations flagged for distributing adulterated diesel.

Authorities say the arrests and statement recordings will be crucial in establishing individual responsibility as they piece together what could be one of the largest petroleum scandals in recent years.