Kenyan authorities were hoping this week's unprecedented arrest of the finance minister and several other top officials on corruption charges would serve as a stern warning to potential grifters.
But one enterprising Kenyan policeman saw the opportunity to make some extra cash, the police directorate of criminal investigations said on Thursday, an embarrassing vignette revealing the depths of Kenya's corruption problem.
Finance minister Henry Rotich is the highest-profile among 26 people charged with corruption-related offences this week over a two planned dam projects. They all pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and have been released on bail.
The day after the minister was charged, the policeman and an unidentified partner walked into the Treasury and extorted money from an employee there by pretending he was also under investigation.
The employee paid him 200,000 Kenyan shillings ($2,000), the directorate said on its Twitter feed.