An elaborate gold fraud syndicate operating from Kilimani and Hurlingham has caught the attention of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), following a complaint by an American national who lost approximately KSh 37 million in a sophisticated scam.
The victim, David White Odell, traveled to Kenya to purchase 150 kilograms of gold, only to realize he had been swindled in a scheme involving fake smelting operations, joint-access vaults, and smooth-talking conmen.
The Staged Gold Operation
Odell recounted how he was taken to a premises where an impressively professional-looking smelting setup was staged.
“I witnessed an operation where they were smelting. They had 150kg there in nugget form… The gentleman that was the shipping agent is Collins, and the gentleman who approached us… was Paul,” Odell said.
To gain his trust, the suspects even provided what they called “collateral”—small batches of gold placed in a secure box inside a vault operated under Sky Eagles Ultra Vault Ltd.
“We both had joint combinations… He put in his two digits, turned back, then I put in mine,” Odell explained.
The Unraveling
After Odell paid the KSh 37 million upfront, the story began to change.
“They said, ‘Well, we can’t ship it as cargo—we have to hire a jet.’ The next morning, he sends a video saying he’s flying to Uganda… Then we were told, ‘Oh, you’re too late—customs is closed.’”
That’s when Odell realized he had been duped.
DCI Steps In
Two suspects—Paul Chogo and Collins Onyango Opinde—are now wanted by detectives in connection with the fraud network along Rosewood Avenue in Hurlingham.
Police raided the scammers’ premises, which were designed to look like legitimate gold trading and storage facilities.
When Citizen TV accompanied investigators to view the “gold” Odell purchased, the box was opened to reveal six pieces of metal resembling gold. Samples have been sent to the Ministry of Mining for verification.
A Growing Menace
According to police, selling non-existent gold has become a rampant scam in Nairobi, leaving local and foreign investors counting heavy losses.
The syndicates use props, forged documents, and convincing staged processes to lend an air of legitimacy—before disappearing with victims’ money.
Hunt for the Suspects
The DCI is now appealing to the public for information that could lead to the arrest of Chogo and Onyango, as investigations into the wider gold fraud network continue.
