Detectives have arrested two people linked to a Sh80 million gold scam that defrauded a Canadian investor.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) says the arrests are part of an intensified crackdown on transnational gold fraud syndicates, which have been conning foreign investors through elaborate fake gold deals.
In the ongoing probe, officers from the Operations Support Unit arrested advocate Michael Otieno Owano, the proprietor of Otieno M.O. Law Advocates, for allegedly playing a key role in the scheme.
Investigators say the victim was tricked into believing they were buying 250 kilograms of gold for export to Dubai aboard a private jet. On April 15, 2025, a proforma invoice of USD 318,400 (about Sh41.6 million) was issued by a company known as EAI Logistics, and the money was sent to Owano’s law firm account. The victim was later asked to send an additional USD 300,000 in cryptocurrency to a digital wallet, but no gold was ever delivered.
Owano’s arrest comes after the earlier capture of Cameroonian national Francis Talla Ouafo, also known as Allain, who is believed to be the mastermind of the scam. He was arraigned at the Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court on July 31, 2025.
In another similar case, Congolese national Lupemba Lorenzi Olivier appeared in court over a fake gold deal targeting a Gabonese investor. Detectives have secured a seven-day custodial order to complete investigations, with the case set for mention on August 13, 2025.
Meanwhile, Kelvin Otieno Onyango, alias Kevo Sonko, the alleged director of SwiftTaxis Logistics Ltd, has also been arrested in connection to the scam. The Canadian complainant was taken to his office to negotiate the deal and later transferred USD 140,000 into an escrow account.
DCI says all suspects remain in custody as investigations continue, adding that it is determined to dismantle the sophisticated networks behind such gold scams.
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