From Drug Smuggling to Gold Smuggling - Congo to Kenya

Exit Drug Smuggling Enter Gold Smuggling.

Who has Kaila’s gold? That was the million dollar question when Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) president Joseph Kabila confronted his Kenyan counterpart, Mwai Kibaki. To the astonishment of his visit, sources reveal that he had exact details of the gold’s location, a warehouse in a place called Embakassi, and the people involved. He claimed that a government official who chose to remain anonymous revealed everything to him.
But why should the head of state confront his counterpart on a surprise visit and demand for immediate action to be taken accompanied by his mining minister alongside with other ministers and officials? In his visit Kabila raised concerns that whenever gold was smuggled from his country through Kenya all that went back to DRC were guns to destabilize his country not what is expected, money. Ships meant to dock at the Kenyan coast are hijacked by pirates in Somalia but at least the money is believed to be heavily invested in Kenya as billions are sent in Kenya annually to Somalia’s living in Kenya. Why shouldn’t the Congolese also benefit as in the case of Kenya when gold is smuggled from them instead they get weapons of mass destruction to destroy and kill them.

Having what he believed the exact location of the minerals in mind and the names of the people involved, the president demanded the police to visit the police to verify the reports and take immediate action if the reports are true. To make sure that the Kenyan authorities don’t manipulate or alter anything, they are accompanied by Congolese police who tagged along with their head of state. This wasn’t enough drama, his list of demands wasn’t over yet, more drama unfolded when he demanded the Kenyan authorities to hold a press conference to show their commitment in pursuing to end the issue. This came after his second meeting with the Kenyan president, yielding to his demands; the Kenyan government spokesman and the Internal Security minister both hold a press with the minister alongside Congolese ministers expressing the country’s commitment as obvious assuring the citizens their safety.
Kabila’s objective of the visit wasn’t just to make demands but to seek assistance in arresting people said to have disappeared with 2.5 tonnes of gold valued at Sh.8 billion, stolen from Eastern Congo. Detectives believe that the minerals were smuggled into Kenya on its way to Dubai, there were speculations that some of it made its way to South Africa. The gold as stolen in January.
A month before Joseph Kabila’s visit in Kivu province DRC (a troubled region full of militias controlling the country’s minerals) at the airport of Goma, a plane registered in the US, Dallas-Texas, was seized for gold smuggling. The jet is also investigation by the US Drug Enforcement for drug running.

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), immigrations department and the Criminal Investigations Department has been conducting the investigations. KRA’s Senior Assistant Commissioner, Joseph Cheptarus, who had been seconded to the investigations team was shot dead outside his house by three armed men as he was making his way in. He was shot four times on the stomach and left to bleed to death, the three gunmen ran with his Toyota SUV. In the same event, the president’s home in Kinshasa was attacked by armed gunmen and a gun fight lasting several hours followed. The government spokesman called this an attempted coup but all these events have been linked to the lost minerals.