After evading multiple police operations over the past months, one of Nairobi's notorious gold scammers, Hon. Jonathan Okoth Opande, also known as Okoth Magawi, has finally been apprehended.

Opande, alias Chairman/Kiongozi, was intercepted from a Kisumu-bound KQ flight yesterday afternoon by sharp-eyed detectives who had received intelligence about his sudden travel plans. The suspect, who unsuccessfully vied for the Nyakach Parliamentary seat in the last General Elections, has been engaged in a game of cat and mouse with law enforcement. He is sought in connection with a case involving the fraudulent acquisition of over SH13 million from two Thai nationals in a counterfeit gold transaction.



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In a report filed at the Royal Thai Embassy in April of this year by Messrs Kitvisit Songsri and Nutsaphol Songsri, the accused, masquerading as the CEO of Blu Afrique LTD, deceived them into providing a sum of money. He claimed that this payment would secure a quantity of gold, the exact amount of which was not initially specified.

The two foreign nationals had arrived in the country on April 17 to finalize the agreement. However, within days, they discovered that they had fallen prey to Nairobi's infamous network of fraudulent gold dealers.

The pair had been introduced to Kiongozi by his associate, Fred Obach Oliech, who was apprehended on August 23 and has since faced legal proceedings.

A search conducted at the primary suspect's office located in Gatina area, Lavington, resulted in the discovery of significant evidence including KRA export seals, a dust coat bearing the Ministry of Mining logo, and digital weighing scales, among other crucial items.

The accused is presently detained at Buruburu police station and is set to be formally charged in court on Monday.