A Nairobi court has jailed the architect of a fake tantalum minerals export scheme or imposed a Sh10 million fine after a cross-border fraud operation that saw a Chinese investor lose Sh151 million through falsified mineral shipments.
Milimani Law Courts on Tuesday handed the sentence to Ulundu Patrick Lumumba, who is also known as Gabriel Kulonda and Lumumba Patrick Byarufu, after finding him guilty of Obtaining Money by False Pretences under Section 313 of the Penal Code.
The case exposed what investigators described as a coordinated international network that moved fake mineral consignments through Kenyan ports.
Investigators told the court that the syndicate operated by packing containers with sand while declaring them as high-value tantalum minerals meant for export.
One of the shipments was later opened overseas, where it was discovered that the containers carried drums of sand instead of the valuable mineral, leading to the loss of Sh151 million.
Authorities said Lumumba was arrested by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Operations Support Unit on April 5, 2024, shortly after landing in Nairobi from Entebbe, Uganda.
The DCI said the suspect tried to avoid detection despite restrictions placed on one of his travel documents.
“Despite a stop order having been placed on one of his travel documents, he attempted to re-enter the country using alternative identification documents and multiple aliases,” the DCI said.
Further investigations showed that he was behind a wider operation involving multiple fake shipments, with detectives later uncovering additional containers at the Port of Mombasa that were also filled with sand but falsely labeled as tantalum exports.
“The deception cost the Chinese investor Sh151 million after one of the containers was opened overseas and found to contain drums of sand instead of the highly sought-after mineral,” investigators stated.
Authorities described the network as a well-planned criminal enterprise that operated across different jurisdictions and used false documentation to move the fake mineral consignments through official export channels.