Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested several key suspects in connection with a transnational gold fraud syndicate that has defrauded foreign investors of hundreds of thousands of dollars through elaborate fake gold export schemes.
In the latest development, detectives from the DCI’s Operations Support Unit (OSU) arrested Michael Otieno Owano, a Nairobi-based advocate and proprietor of Otieno M.O. Law Advocates.
Owano is accused of facilitating a high-stakes scam in which a Canadian investor lost USD 618,000 (Ksh.79.9 million) in a fictitious gold deal involving a purported shipment of 250 kilograms of gold to Dubai aboard a private jet.
“The victim was lured into a fake gold export deal involving 250 kilograms of gold, allegedly set for shipment to Dubai aboard a private jet. On April 15, 2025, a Proforma Invoice of USD 318,400 was issued by EAI Logistics, with the funds wired to Owano’s law firm account. He was later asked to send an additional USDT 300,000 to a cryptocurrency wallet, but no gold was ever delivered,” said the DCI, in a statement on Friday.
Owano’s arrest follows the earlier capture of Francis Talla Ouafo, alias Allain, a Cameroonian national believed to be the mastermind behind the syndicate. He was arraigned on July 31, 2025, at the Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court.
In a separate but similar case, Lupemba Lorenzi Olivier, a Congolese national, was arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts in connection with another fake gold deal, this time targeting a Gabonese investor. Detectives have since obtained a seven-day custodial order to finalise investigations, with the matter set for mention on August 13, 2025.
Meanwhile, Kelvin Otieno Onyango, also known as Kevo Sonko, was also apprehended in connection with the same fraudulent scheme. Onyango, the alleged director of SwiftTaxis Logistics Ltd, is said to have hosted the complainant at his office where the fake gold transaction was negotiated and formalised. The investor later transferred USD 140,000 (Ksh.18 million) into an escrow account controlled by the suspects.
“All the suspects are currently in custody, undergoing processing pending their arraignment in court, as DCI intensifies efforts to dismantle the networks behind these sophisticated gold scams,” said the DCI.
