Kenya, Thai embassy in Sh2.4m tender dispute
National
By
Emmanuel Kipchumba
| Sep 17, 2025
An embassy and a 24-year-old Kenyan entrepreneur are entangled in a dispute over a $18,822.24 (Sh2,431,833.41) tender.
Nasur din Abdi Yussuf claims the Thai embassy in Nairobi has refused to pay him despite offering his services, but the office has denied any contractual relationship.
“Our client expressly denies requesting, approving, or authorising any of the services referenced in your correspondence. At no time did our client initiate a procurement process, give written approval, or issue any official communication authorising the arrangements described in your invoice,” reads a response from the embassy.
The embassy said the matter had been reported to Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Diplomatic Police Unit.
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Yussuf claims he opened his travel and tours company in May and received a call from an embassy staff member on July 24, saying they needed his services.
He claims to have visited the embassy on the same day and was surprised by the level of detail they seemed to already have about him.
“The security guard knew my name, where I was coming from, and even the purpose of my visit,” he says.
Inside, he met embassy officials, including a woman who introduced herself as being from the Office of Commercial Affairs.
They discussed terms for ticketing, safaris, and regional travel support. According to Yussuf, the woman explained that most of their communication would be via personal emails because the embassy email system was not working.
The following day, Yussuf received a contract titled 'Tours and Travel Services Agreement' between his company, Campfire Chronicles Travel Tours & Safaris, and the embassy.
“I reviewed it, signed, and sent it back. Everything looked legitimate,” he says.
Soon after, the woman sent him passports and documents for seven people scheduled to travel to Kigali, Rwanda, and Bangkok, Thailand, for a business forum.
But once the tickets were issued, silence followed. The promised 14-day payment window came and went without a word. His emails, he claims, went unanswered.
When he attempted to visit the embassy, the same guards who had welcomed him earlier turned hostile.
“They harassed me and denied me entry. One guard almost punched me. It was as if they knew something was being covered up inside,” he says.
On August 13, his lawyer issued a demand letter giving the embassy 24 hours to pay Sh2.4 million plus damages or face legal action.
“This conduct has occasioned financial distress to our client and jeopardised their workflow due to financial deficits. The continued withholding of funds amounts to breach of contract, causing loss, inconvenience and reputational damage,” reads the letter.
But the embassy denied any knowledge of the contract, arguing that the alleged contract was signed by a former employee.
“Your client’s claim is entirely without merit and constitutes an attempt to improperly extract funds from a foreign mission,” the reply read.
When contacted by The Standard, it distanced itself from the matter. Natthapong Senanarong, minister counsellor at the Office of Commercial Affairs, said they never authorised any employee to enter into the contract.
Senanarong noted that the woman staff resigned on July 25 and ceased to be their employee effective 1 August.
“Any contract allegedly executed by her was made without the Office’s knowledge or authorisation and does not create any binding obligation,” said Senanarong.
However, Yussuf says the embassy cannot wash its hands of the matter.
“I signed a contract stamped with their name. I received passports and documents that only an insider could provide. I even have recordings of (the woman staff) saying her department knew about the contract,” he says.