Kenya has deported a Zambian national that police described as a notorious gold scammer who operated an international syndicate of fraudsters in Nairobi.

Mr Bupe Chipando, aka Elena, was deported following his arrest by transnational and organised crimes detectives after he defrauded a Dutch national of over Sh170 million in a fake-gold deal.

Mr Chipando was also previously linked to the printing of counterfeit currency.

Last year, his firm Alinani Precious Metals (APM) had announced plans to build a Sh1 billion gold processing plant on Mombasa Road in Nairobi at a cost of Sh1 billion targeting artisanal miners.

Mr. Chipando who is APM Chief Executive said at the time that the gold refinery project, whose construction was to start in early September, will offer miners the means to extract value from their own mineral wealth rather than just exporting raw commodities

He was ejected some minutes before midnight after Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i issued the deportation orders.

This was not the first arrest of fake-gold scammers who had defrauded foreigners.

In January, a Congolese man who had reportedly been on the run for four years was charged with defrauding a Ukrainian and a Japanese national of more than Sh680 million in a fake-gold deal.

The illicit trade is mainly concentrated in Nairobi’s high-end estates.

In a well-coordinated and orchestrated scheme, the fraudsters reside in expensive apartments that are guarded round the clock.

“It is in these upmarket establishments where they perfected the art of international organised gold scam fraud by luring unsuspecting genuine investors from across the world to part with millions of money in exchange for fake gold,” the DCI said in a statement.

In September 2017, the Mining minister gave people involved in the fake gold trade an ultimatum, warning that the government would deal with them ruthlessly.

This is after it emerged that rogue mineral dealers were issuing certificates purportedly issued by the Ministry of Mining to show that their gold, which is mostly fake, had been tested and graded.

The fraud, the ministry said, was being committed by persons with huge quantities of gold available at discounted prices.

Their victims were unsuspecting Kenyans and foreign nationals.

The criminals use false mineral dealers’ licences, export permits and reports purported to have been issued by the ministry.

Other common fraud cases involve demands for hefty upfront payments to facilitate the processing of export documents with relevant authorities, after which no export is done or the consignment turns out to be fake gold.

But the government is yet to follow through and punish the real masterminds, some of them politicians.

Kitwe’s Patriotic Front (PF) Chimwemwe Member of Parliament Allen Banda is shocked that a company from outside the Constituency has been allowed to supply school desks using Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Mr Banda on Monday handed over 150 desks to Kapoto School in Chimwemwe’s Kamatipa Ward which were procured using the Constituency Development Funds (CDF).

The Chimwemwe MP said he was concerned that the desks were not sourced or procured locally as per CDF guidelines that seek to empower local entrepreneurs in the constituency.

The New Dawn government especially President Hichilema Hichilema has been insisting that local people within a constituency should be prioritised when it comes to the utilisation of CDF.

Mr Banda said he was concerned that the 150 desks were not locally made but instead were sourced and procured from some hardware shop in the Kitwe Town Centre without the involvement of local suppliers or contractors.

The Lawmaker said he expected the desks to be made by the people of Chimwemwe Constituency because that was the focal point for the new CDF guidelines which are aimed at empowering the locals.

Mr Banda said as Member of Parliament he has a duty to ensure that CDF money remains in Chimwemwe to empower the people who have formed companies and cooperatives.

He urged members of the community in Chimwemwe to form cooperatives and start benefiting from the increased CDF allocation countrywide.

“As Chimwemwe Member of Parliament I will ensure that the people of Chimwemwe are the ones benefitting from the Constituency Development Funds for Chimwemwe. Fellow Chimwemwe Residents, yesterday (Monday) we handed over 150 desks to Kapoto School in Chimwemwe’s Kamatipa Ward which were procured using the Constituency Development Funds (CDF).As area Member of Parliament, I was however, concerned that the desks were not sourced or procured locally as per guidelines that seek to empower local enterprenures in the constituency,” Mr. Banda said.

“I am deeply concerned that the 150 desks were not locally made but instead were sourced and procured from some hardware in town without the involvement of local suppliers and contaractors.We expected the desks to be made by the people of Chimwemwe Constituency because that was the focal point for the new CDF guidelines which are aimed at empowering the locals.My job as area Member of Parliament is to ensure that CDF money remains in Chimwemwe to empower the people who have formed companies and cooperatives within the area,” he stated.

Mr. Banda pledged to engage Kitwe City Council to ensure non Chimwemwe businesses always partner with local business so that local people can also benefit from CDF.

“We also continue to urge members of the community to form coperatives and start benefiting from the increased CDF countrywide.We will also engage the local authority to ensure non Chimwemwe businesses always partner with local business so that they can also benefit from CDF.I am also urging all the residents of Chimwemwe to get involved in the administration of CDF by submitting your areas of need to your zonal leaders onward submission to WDCs,” Mr. Banda said.

There has been increased public interest in the disbursing, utilization and management of CDF after the New Dawn Government increased the allocation to K 25.7 million per constituency.

Three armed robbers wearing police uniforms have allegedly robbed a 32 year old man of Kasumbalesa of $19,860 and 40 565 Franc’s in broad daylight.

Copperbelt Province Police Commanding Officer Sharon Zulu said the robbers attacked Kelvin Mayuma a resident of Kasumbalesa on the DR Congo side by tying him using police handcuffs on 11th July, 2022.

They also tied his neck, mouth and legs with a seal tap and he was later dumped in Kanyemu area along Kakoso stream in Chililabombwe.

Ms. Zulu said police have visited the crime scene though no arrest was made.

“Aggravated robbery reported at Chililabombwe on 11/07//22, at 17:00 hours ‘occurred on 11/07/22 at about 13:30 hours near Antelope – Kasumbalesa, in which male Kelvin Mayuma aged 32 of house number Kasumbalesa Congo side other particulars not known reported that he was attacked and Rob of $19,860 us dollars and 40565 Franc’s by three (3) men and one of them armed with unknown type of a firearm and dressed in police uniform and the same were driving a Toyota Allion grey in colour Registration number not known,” Ms. Zulu said.

Ms. Zulu said the victim is complaining of general body pain.

“The victim was handcuffed using police handcuffs, his neck, mouth and legs tied up with seal tape and he was later dumped in the Kanyemu area along Kakoso stream. The victim is complaining of general body pain. Police have visited the crime scene though no arrest was made. Investigations have been instituted to bring the culprits to answer changes accordingly,” she said.

Former Chipata Central Member of Parliament, Lameck Mangani has advised people in Eastern Province to embrace the change of government following the last August 12 elections.

Speaking during the Political Hour radio program on Breeze FM over the weekend, Mr Mangani urged Easterners not to continue mourning the PF loss but support the current administration led by President Hakainde Hichilema as they were given the mandate by the people of Zambia.

He said the province risks losing out on development opportunities if they mourn the PF loss for too long.

He said after the 1991 elections, the Eastern province lagged behind in terms of development because people could not move on after the then-ruling United Nations Independence Party (UNIP) lost to the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD).

“After the 1991 elections, Eastern lagged behind in terms of development as we mourned the loss of UNIP for too long. There is no need to be antagonistic but find a good formula of engaging the government if we were to witness development in our region. Most of our road infrastructure is in a bad state”, he said.

Mr Mangani, who was also a former Home Affairs Minister, said people from the region should find an amicable formula of engaging the government if they are to witness development rather than being antagonistic as there is no need to cry over spilt milk.

Meanwhile, a caller, Allan Lungu, said the lack of coordination among the elected leaders in Chipata Central constituency is retarding development in the area.

Mr Lungu said it was sad to note that certain Councillors do not want certain things to move just because they belong to the opposition political party, which should not be the case as time for politicking ended on August 12th last year.

‘’That shouldn’t be the case as time for politicking ended on August 12 hence the need for our leaders to work as a team and not in isolation regardless of political affiliation,’’ he said

Copperbelt Provincial Permanent Secretary Augustine Kasongo has observed that there is a need to formulate policies that can effectively support the local manufacturing industry.

Mr. Kasongo said his office was aware that local manufacturers are grappling with the challenge of scarcity business locally as industries such as mines prefer imported products.

He also cited lack of financial support and inadequate marketing as other challenges affecting local producers.

Speaking during the Local Content Conference and Expo organised by the Zambia Association of Manufacturers at Protea Hotel in Ndola, Mr. Kasongo said locals were not supporting products being manufactured in the country.

He said the manufacturing industry was sad that the mining sector was importing goods that are also being produced locally.

Copperbelt Provincial Permanent Secretary further challenged local manufacturers to widely market their products.

I wish to confess that our Zambian manufacturers are given support that they require they are equal to the task. I have seen the items they have exhibited. Some manufacturers are even exporting their products. The trend that we have is that most of the products have been certified to be used in the mines and in most institutions like the Zambia Police, Zambia Army but the complaint manufacturers have is that we are not giving them support as Zambians. We are not buying their local products. We are busy importing products that they are able to manufacture here in Zambia. If few of them are exporting to Zimbabwe and Congo but the Zambians especially the mining sector is not giving manufacturers the support that is needed. So we need to ensure that we do some deliberate policy of ensuring that we support our Zambian businesses because if supported it means we are creating employment for our people,” Mr. Kasongo said.

He added that high lending interest rates are equally hindering the growth of local businesses.

Mr. Kasongo said the support of the local businesses was key to job creation which is part of the UPND Government agenda.

“Production of goods and services will go up then there will be a need to employ some more people but if we continue importing it means we are denying the growth of our Zambian businesses and of course one of the challenges that have come out very prominently is that they require financing. Affordable financing because you know they are unable to access financing the interest rates are very high. If there could be a way that this aspect of funding is looked at to give capacity to Zambian businesses to grow. Once they grow we will create more employment for our people and that is the agenda of the new dawn government,” Mr. Kasongo said.

Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) President Ashu Sagar asked the government to ensure that local products are supported, especially by the mines.

The mining industry in Zambia consumes a significant amount of manufactured products however different studies have shown that 90 % of manufactured products consumed by the local mining companies are imported. The need to strengthen the linkages between the manufacturing sector and the mining sector in Zambia cannot be over emphasised,” Mr. Sagar stated.