Cytonn CEO Warns Prince Indah Off Real Estate Deal

Cytonn Investments CEO Edwin Dande has publicly warned Ohangla star Prince Indah to keep out of real estate, invoking the ruinous example of Bishop Mark Kariuki to make his point.

The warning, posted on X this week, has set off a fierce debate, not least because of Dande’s own contested record in the very sector he is cautioning others about.

“Prince Indah is now parlaying his top notch ohangla skills into selling plots? We have seen enough of this: just as Pastor Mark Kariuki should have avoided selling plots and stuck to the pulpit, the King of Ohangla should avoid plots like a plague. Real estate in Kenya is flammable stuff,” Dande wrote.

Prince Indah, born Kevin Otieno Onyango, recently promoted a venture called Prime Plots Property on social media, advertising plots with ready title deeds and cash discounts of up to five per cent.

The musician, widely hailed as the King of Ohangla for his blend of traditional Luo rhythms and modern performance energy, pitched the investment as offering buyers “a place to call home” and a secure future.

Dande’s reference to Kariuki cuts deep.

The Bishop, who serves as General Overseer of Deliverance Churches Kenya, stands at the centre of one of the country’s most damaging land scandals.

In 2014, Kariuki and fellow church leaders endorsed the Imani Estate project in Ruiru, Kiambu County, through the church’s commercial arm, Ukombozi Holdings.

Thousands of congregants paid between Sh2.5 million and Sh4.4 million per plot on a 500-acre site marketed as a divine opportunity for homeownership.

The land turned out to be part of the disputed estate of former intelligence chief James Kanyotu and was under High Court restraining orders due to an unresolved succession battle.

Investigations exposed forged documents and entities linked to Kamlesh Pattni, the architect of the 1990s Goldenberg scandal.

A High Court ruling dated July 10, 2025, declared all transactions null and void, triggering a government gazette notice ordering the cancellation of titles.

Victims, many of whom had sunk life savings and bank loans into the scheme, estimate losses at around Sh10 billion.

Kariuki has also previously faced accusations over a 2007 pyramid scheme called DECI, which reportedly cost investors millions, though he insisted he was himself a victim.

The irony of Dande’s warning has not been lost on Kenyans online.

As CEO of Cytonn Investments, Dande himself faces accusations of overseeing schemes that have trapped more than Sh15 billion in investor funds through delayed payouts and stalled projects.

His legal battles include allegations of armed confrontations over a Kilimani property and non-compliance with liquidation orders.

In January 2026, Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi petitioned parliament over Cytonn’s alleged fraud, and the matter is now before the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

The exchange has reignited debate about Kenya’s property market, long plagued by forged title deeds, disputed land and high-profile collapses.

Real estate experts warn that celebrities who lend their names to plot sales face particular exposure, given that their fame draws investors who may not conduct due diligence.