Seems like a very lucrative thing.Lakini hawa watu wanagongwa pia ni wajinga sana!How do you wire money bila Hata kuona bithaa!
The publicity blitz that surrounded the pre-wedding events of Mr Jared Kiasa Otieno’s nuptials caught the attention of the nation.
From descriptions of the opulent display to the symbolism of shattered ethnic barriers, the wedding received considerable media coverage.
Often referred to as a “flashy businessman” or “youthful tycoon” in media reports, Mr Otieno first came to the limelight when pictures emerged on social media in May 2015 as he hosted his in-laws at his rural home of Ndhiwa, Homa Bay County, before leading a delegation to Meru County three months later for dowry payment.
The climax was an invite-only wedding in October 2015 in Nairobi.
The events were conspicuous for the show of wealth, with helicopters vying for parking space with top-of-the-range vehicles, including customised Porsches and Range Rovers. The delegations included politicians, corporate executives and friends.
Notable, too, was the presence of police “escorts”, including outriders. But amid the glitz, police in Nairobi were apparently on the hunt for a Mr Smith Mackenzie Otieno as they investigated a case in which Mr Christian Gallati, an Austrian national, was on May 1, 2015 defrauded of €127,000 (Sh13.7 million).
While Mr Mackenzie was listed as being “at large”, Mr Kevin Obia alias Kevin Kleigh — who was also involved in Mr Otieno’s marriage ceremonies — had made several appearances at Nairobi’s Milimani Law Courts.
Like Mr Otieno, Mr Obia — sometimes referred to as the “Don” — is well known in Nairobi’s high-end entertainment circuit and is often described as a “flamboyant businessman” in media reports.
KILOS OF GOLD
Mr Obia is facing charges of pretending that he could sell 7kg of gold to Mr Gallati for which he obtained the Sh13.7 million during a meeting at a hotel in Nairobi city centre. Prosecutors also allege an attempt to obtain $570,000 (Sh57 million) from Mr Gallati. This time the amount of gold the complainant was promised weighed 13kg.
Mr Gallati had reported the case to Nairobi’s Central Police Station on May 18, 2015 and has been flying in and out of the country to attend court sessions alongside a witness.
A source familiar with the case, but who spoke in confidence, said some court appearances have sometimes been postponed to the inconvenience of the Austrian, but a hearing is set for April 18.
The Nation can today reveal that Mr Jared Otieno and “Mr Smith Mackenzie Otieno” — also known as “Mr Smith Mackenzie” — is one and the same person. He is suspected to be part of a Kenyan-based international ring of fraudsters that mostly offers gold to foreign buyers at heavily discounted prices, but ends up selling air, receiving export processing fees for non-existent cargo or shipping pieces of gold-coloured scrap metal to victims who had paid millions of shillings.
Documents belonging to “Mr Mackenzie” obtained from multiple sources show his preferred form of identification to those he is dealing with is a passport issued on November 8, 2002 showing he was born on March 4, 1980.
Our checks with sources at the Immigration Department indicate no records of such a passport or its use for travel, raising questions on its authenticity. The picture in the passport is, however, that of Mr Otieno. In effect, he has been hiding in plain sight.