Man behind Ksh151M fake tantalum deal jailed, ordered to refund Chinese investor
A Nairobi court has sentenced the mastermind behind a fake tantalum minerals scam to three years in prison or a fine of Ksh10 million after he defrauded a Chinese investor of Ksh151 million in an elaborate transnational fraud scheme...
✨ Key Highlights
A Nairobi court has sentenced the alleged mastermind behind a Ksh151 million fake tantalum scam to three years in prison or a Ksh10 million fine, holding him responsible for defrauding a Chinese investor.
- Ksh151 million was lost by the defrauded Chinese investor.
- The convicted individual is Ulundu Patrick Lumumba, also known by aliases Gabriel Kulonda and Lumumba Patrick Byarufu.
- The scam involved falsely declaring containers filled with sand as valuable tantalum, exposing a sophisticated transnational mineral export fraud spanning multiple countries.
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Chinese Firm Lands JKIA Ksh 154B Upgrade Contract Amid Court Case - June 2026
The Kenyan government has awarded a Ksh154 billion contract to China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) for the modernization of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), despite an ongoing High Court case challenging the project. A Nairobi court has sentenced the alleged mastermind behind a Ksh151 million fake tantalum scam to three years in prison or a Ksh10 million fine, holding him responsible for defrauding a Chinese investor. Following Kenya's successful restructuring of Chinese loans, other nations are now considering repaying their debts to China in the Chinese yuan instead of the U.S. dollar, according to a report.
