City lawyer Alphonce Collins Odoyo Osewe has now been formally charged in connection with an alleged KSh61 million gold fraud case after detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations arrested him inside the Milimani Law Courts.
The dramatic arrest happened while Osewe was appearing in court as legal counsel for Mukurwe-ini Member of Parliament John Kaguchia in a different case, bringing an unexpected twist to the day’s proceedings.
The arrest followed several months during which investigators had reportedly been trying to secure Osewe’s appearance in court over the fraud allegations.
According to the prosecution, previous efforts to have him take plea were unsuccessful after he failed to appear on scheduled dates.
Court documents show that Osewe and his co-accused, Patroba Odhiambo Tobias, are accused of obtaining money from two complainants by falsely claiming they could facilitate the sale of 400 kilograms of gold bars.
Prosecutors argue that the alleged transaction never existed and that the victims were misled into making substantial payments.
The prosecution alleges that in May 2023, the suspects fraudulently obtained USD 260,400, which is approximately KSh35.7 million, from Bernard Shiaundu Aete after allegedly claiming they were in a position to supply the gold.
Osewe also faces another charge of allegedly obtaining KSh26.1 million from Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi in connection with the same alleged gold deal.
Together, the amounts involved add up to approximately KSh61 million.The case has been before the courts for several months.
It was first mentioned in October 2025 when Osewe’s co-accused appeared before court, pleaded not guilty and the matter proceeded. Osewe, however, did not attend the hearing.
His legal team informed the court that he had been admitted to hospital and was expected to travel abroad for specialized medical treatment.
Following those explanations, Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina directed investigators to formally serve Osewe with court summons and ordered that he appear before the court to answer the charges.
The court later fixed November 17, 2025 as the date for his appearance.
Despite the court’s directions, prosecutors maintained that Osewe did not present himself before the court as required.
The prosecution continued to press for his attendance, arguing that the case could not move forward until he personally appeared to take plea.
His arrest this week has now cleared the way for the criminal proceedings to continue.
With Osewe now before the court, the prosecution is expected to proceed with plea-taking before the matter advances to the next stages of the judicial process.
The case is another reminder of the continued investigations into alleged gold fraud schemes, which have in recent years attracted both local and foreign complainants claiming to have lost millions of shillings through fake gold transactions.
Such cases have often involved promises of large quantities of gold that investigators later allege did not exist.
For the prosecution, the central claim is that the money was obtained through false pretences.
Those allegations will now be tested in court, where evidence from both the prosecution and the defence is expected to be presented.
Osewe remains presumed innocent unless and until the court finds him guilty. The outcome of the case will depend on the evidence presented during the trial and the determination made by the court after hearing both sides.
