2021 was a golden year for Africa’s precious mineral scammers, with Nairobi as a hub
Congolese national Le Divin Mupanga Etienne at the Milimani Law Courts Nairobi where he was charged with conspiracy to defraud Richard Piatt Sommerfeld, a director of Occidental Commodities Ltd from Nevis Island, West Indies, of $97500 and displaying fake gold nuggets. PHOTO | FILE
They mostly operate in Kilimani, Nairobi, and have recently moved to opulent areas of the city such as Karen and Kileleshwa. Their offices are flashy, well furnished with real or fake gold-plated chairs and tables, and they drive around in the latest top-of-the-range vehicles. They will fly them to Kampala in Uganda or even Dubai in the United Arab Emirates just to prove that theirs is a genuine business.
Welcome to Nairobi, the city of gold scammers, a city where many have lost millions of dollars to bling-bling-wearing fraudsters, who have tentacles and partners across Africa — from Kampala to Lagos, Kinshasa to Niamey.
