Fake Gold Scammer Patroba Odhiambo Charged Over Sh61 Million Fraud Scheme

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 23 — A man accused of orchestrating a multi-million shilling fake gold scam has been arraigned before a Nairobi court over allegations of defrauding foreign investors in a scheme involving fictitious gold sales.

Patroba Odhiambo Tobias, also known as Ishmael, was on Wednesday charged before Chief Magistrate Lukas Onyina with obtaining money by false pretenses and engaging in financial dealings suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Tobias is charged alongside lawyer Alphonce Collins Odoyo Osewe, a High Court advocate, who did not appear in court after his legal team informed the court that he is admitted to hospital. The magistrate directed that Osewe’s medical documents be produced in court on September 23, 2025, when the prosecution is expected to respond to the bail and bond application.

According to the prosecution, Tobias and Osewe allegedly obtained USD 260,400 (approximately Sh35.7 million) from businessman Bernard Shiaundu Aete by falsely claiming they could supply him with 400 kilograms of gold bars — a claim investigators say was completely fraudulent.

In a separate count, Osewe is accused of swindling Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi of Sh26.1 million using a similar ruse, also involving the promise of 400 kilograms of gold.

The offences are said to have been committed between May 1 and May 9, 2023, within Nairobi County. Prosecutors told the court that the two suspects were part of a wider network engaged in gold scams targeting unsuspecting local and foreign buyers using falsified export documents and fake mineral certificates.

Tobias denied all charges. The court ordered that the prosecution’s application to oppose bail be heard on the same date as Osewe’s medical review.

The case adds to a growing list of high-profile gold fraud prosecutions in Kenya, amid concerns that Nairobi has become a hub for transnational gold scams exploiting lax regulatory oversight and the global demand for precious minerals.