Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested several key suspects linked to a transnational gold fraud syndicate accused of swindling foreign investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars through elaborate fake gold export schemes.
Among those arrested is Nairobi-based lawyer Michael Otieno Owano, proprietor of Otieno M.O. Law Advocates, who is alleged to have played a central role in a scam that defrauded a Canadian investor of USD 618,000 (Ksh 79.9 million).
The fraudulent deal involved a supposed shipment of 250 kilograms of gold to Dubai aboard a private jet.
According to the DCI’s Operations Support Unit (OSU), the victim was initially issued a Proforma Invoice of USD 318,400 on April 15, 2025, by a company known as EAI Logistics.
The funds were transferred to Owano’s law firm account as part of the bogus transaction. The victim was later instructed to send an additional USDT 300,000 to a cryptocurrency wallet. However, no gold was ever delivered.
“This was part of a carefully orchestrated fake gold export operation that targeted unsuspecting foreign investors,” the DCI said in a statement.
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 at the Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court on July 31, 2025.
Also arrested was Kelvin Otieno Onyango, also known as Kevo Sonko, the alleged director of SwiftTaxis Logistics Ltd.
Investigators say Onyango hosted the Canadian investor at his office, where the fake gold transaction was negotiated and formalized.
The victim subsequently wired USD 140,000 (Ksh 18 million) into an escrow account reportedly controlled by the suspects.
“All the suspects are currently in custody, undergoing processing pending arraignment in court,” the DCI confirmed, adding that efforts are ongoing to dismantle the wider network behind these sophisticated gold scams.
