Gold and other scams will make Kenya lose its glitter

On several occasions last year, the country was gobsmacked by allegations of high-level fraud in which foreign nationals, including dignitaries, were reportedly conned millions of shillings by Kenyans who promised to sell them gold.

At the time, Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti claimed the people behind the complicated scam were enjoying the protection of some corrupt senior police officers, among other government officials.

Although some suspects eventually landed in court, we are not sure whether investigations into this matter have been concluded.

But sadly, even before the truth about the gold scam is fully dug out, allegations of a new Sh40 billion fake weapons procurement scandal are swirling around. Already, the victims – Polish nationals – are said to have been swindled Sh11.5 million.

Once again, it will take time for Kenyans to know the finer details of this scam.

But one thing is certain, these claims/scams are not doing us any good. Many foreign investors prefer Kenya to most neighbouring countries. Of course, corruption has denied us potential investors.

The sad reality is that these new high-level fraud is likely to make matters worse for Kenya. In fact, if these multi-million shilling scams targeting westerners are real, Kenya could make the infamous Nigeria ‘419’ scamming look like child’s play. That’s why we should be afraid; very afraid.

Authorities must thoroughly investigate the emerging crime to not only save foreign nationals their hard-earned money, but also Kenya’s good name.