On Sunday 24th July, reports streamed in that Sh. 20 Billion gold ‘mysteriously vanished’ at JKIA.
The gold is reportedly said to have weighed about three tonnes. The gold disappeared while in the hands of customs officials at the JKIA airport in Nairobi.
Sources investigating the gold trade syndicate reveal that the shipment was smuggled 2 weeks ago, from the warehouse where it was being stored in the JKIA.
The missing gold went undetected until when questions began to pop up on July 12th, with the first report being made at the JKIA police station.
Kenyan Investigative agencies and DRC authorities have been investigating the illegal gold trade that has been taking place in the central African nation. There are claims that the gold trade is what has kept the country economically stable in its 15-year conflict.
East African Community members last month agreed to form a military unit that will help curb the illegal gold trade and arrest those involved in the activity.
However, sources confirmed that the gold at JKIA was flown out of the country, undetected, without acquiring the necessary papers and permissions, and without the gold owner’s consent. The final destination at which the plane transporting the gold touched down is yet to be established.
“The fraudsters have conspired with gold export agencies, aviation and government officials to move the large consignment whose destination is yet to be revealed,” reads the source report.
Sources reveal that the buyers are of European and Arabian origin. The gold seller had a fallout with the buyers. A senior politician is reportedly said to have been involved as a third party.
The would-be buyers allegedly used the politician’s connections to get the gold out of the country. Detectives are now swarming around the suspected politician.
“The buyers are said to be of Arab and European origin. Detectives from both countries have already identified the parties involved and are now seeking to identify the destination and recover the gold,” one report in a local daily said.
The gold owner is reportedly said to be of DRC descent and is currently ill. He is said to have begun the process of halting the transaction through Kenyan courts. This is the latest high-profile case of gold theft to be reported in Kenya.
