Kenyan authorities have detained Derrick Kibirango Lukanga, a Ugandan gold dealer over suspected involvement in defrauding a top Congolese general.
According to a source in Nairobi, Lukanga is currently being held at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport for questioning after authorities there got tipped off that he was a wanted man involved in a controversial export of a huge volume of gold to Dubai.
It remains unclear how much gold was intercepted but according to the source, the said gold is also being claimed by a group of Congolese gold dealers with close ties with a DR Congo top general.
The source adds that Lukanga exported the gold last month through Emirates Sky Cargo and in the wake of UAE's recent suspension of flights from Uganda due to the escalation of the Covid-19 pandemic, he intended to travel to Dubai through Nairobi to sell it to an American businessman.
However, due to the numerous complaints on the gold consignment from different people, it prompted the Dubai Customs authorities to block his visa before he could fly out.
When contacted an official at Dubai Customs said Interpol picked interest in the gold because its origin is linked to DR Congo yet the country has an embargo on private exploitation of gold and such minerals.
The United Nations placed an embargo on private exploitation of gold in DR Congo for what is termed as conflict gold trade but gold smugglers, who are often linked to rebel groups, often find a way of selling it using proxies in other countries.
"Lukanga and his purported American partner have been given 10 days to prove that the gold originates from Uganda," says the official. "Failure to do this will attract dire consequences on the goods and shippers, including the American now in Dubai."
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