NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 17 — A man has been arraigned in court over allegations of defrauding an American national of USD 217,900 (approximately Sh28 million) in a failed gold transaction.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Willis Onyango Wasonga, also known by the alias “Marcus,” was arrested following a report lodged at Capitol Hill Police Station by Gershonov Oleg on behalf of his American business partner, John Sodipo.
Detectives described the case as a sophisticated gold fraud and money laundering scheme.
According to investigators, Oleg first visited Kenya in September 2025 to pursue a gold transaction that never materialized. During the trip, he established contacts with alleged gold dealers, including Wasonga, who police describe as the main suspect.
Later, Sodipo and Wasonga entered negotiations for the purchase and chartering of 495 kilograms of gold to Dubai. Sodipo deposited the agreed chartering fees into an escrow account purportedly managed by Advocate Michael Otieno Owano of MOAC Advocates.
Oleg subsequently traveled to Kenya to oversee the shipment, but the gold consignment was never delivered, raising suspicions that the deal was a carefully orchestrated scam.
Detectives allege the suspects employed a complex scheme involving SRK Logistics Limited, a company said to have misrepresented its capacity to supply gold, alongside fake legal agreements that allegedly suggested MOAC Advocates was overseeing a legitimate commercial transaction.
Investigators further claim that funds were rapidly moved between company accounts and transferred overseas — a pattern consistent with money laundering practices.
Wasonga secured anticipatory bail at the High Court before presenting himself at DCI Headquarters on February 13, 2026, for statement recording.
He was later arraigned at Milimani Law Courts, where he pleaded not guilty. The court granted him a bond of Sh1 million with two contact persons or an alternative cash bail of Sh350,000.
The case is scheduled for mention on March 3 as investigations continue, with detectives pursuing additional suspects.
