A Nairobi court has heard shocking revelations of how more than Ksh.51 million was allegedly paid to a man posing as a Canadian Embassy official, leaving dozens of Kenyans stranded, arrested at airports, or turned back during transit.
The case, before Milimani Trial Magistrate Paul Mutai, details how the elaborate scheme unfolded over nearly two years.
How the Scheme Operated
Testifying in court, Lidia Nyagala, a former employee of Golden Key Travel Consultants Limited, said the firm engaged the accused, Brian Reeves Obare, between March 2022 and November 2023 to facilitate Canadian visa applications for its clients.
Nyagala explained that Obare was introduced to the company by Esnas Mboga, a friend of Nancy Najira, and was presented as a counsellor attached to the Canadian Embassy. She first met him at Embassy House in Nairobi’s CBD, where he represented himself as a consular official.
Under the arrangement:
- Clients paid Golden Key Travel Consultants, which forwarded the money to Obare.
- The agreed fee per client was Ksh.450,000, with an initial deposit of Ksh.124,500.
- Passports and supporting documents including IDs, birth and marriage certificates, academic papers, police clearance, COVID-19 certificates, and yellow fever cards were handed over to Obare along with payments.
False Promises and Invalid Visas
Nyagala testified that communication with Obare was mainly through phone calls and WhatsApp. He would send documents allegedly meant for biometrics before demanding full payment. Clients’ passports were also surrendered to him upon request.
She told the court that fewer than 50 passports were submitted for processing, but none of the applicants ever successfully travelled to Canada.
Instead:
- Some clients were arrested at airports.
- Others were denied boarding.
- Several were returned to Kenya from Addis Ababa and Dubai during transit.
Nyagala further revealed that Obare later demanded an additional Ksh.50,000 per client, claiming he had contacts at airports who could facilitate departures. Despite the extra payments, the visas were eventually crossed out and declared invalid.
Embassy Verification Attempts
Nyagala said attempts to verify the visas with the Canadian Embassy initially proved unsuccessful, raising further doubts about the legitimacy of the documents.
Conclusion
The case highlights the vulnerability of unsuspecting Kenyans desperate for opportunities abroad and underscores the need for vigilance when engaging in visa processing. The court’s ruling will be closely watched as it seeks to deliver justice to victims of one of the most elaborate visa scams in recent years.
