Kenyan dealer disappears with Ksh53.5m from Uganda

Ugandan police are hunting for a Kenyan forex dealer who disappeared with more than Ush 2 billion ( about Ksh 53.5 million) belonging to customers.

According to Ugandan newspaper, The Observer, David Kimani, the proprietor of Arua Forex Bureau, reportedly drove from Arua to the eastern Uganda border town of Malaba on Sunday last week where he abandoned his Land Cruiser Prado vehicle.

Some female employees reported for work on Monday morning as usual, and waited for their boss up to around 9am to open the forex bureau in vain.

They explained that when they called Kimani on phone, he told them that he was in Kenya and that they should go home and wait until when returns – possibly after two days.

A guard, who was guarding the bureau, said that on the fateful night, Kimani collected a fully parked bag and left without informing him to keep guard as he usually does.

“The workers came and waited here in vain until after sensing something unusual, they went back home, up to now that’s why the place is still closed,” the Securiko guard told Uganda Radio Network (URN).

The newspaper says more than 30 businessmen, including seven Indians, stormed the forex bureau when news of Kimani’s disappearance spread in Arua town.

Some of the victims had left huge sums of money with Kimani to buy for them foreign currencies including US Dollars, Euros and Pound Sterling but were shocked by the news of his disappearance.

One of the businessmen only identified as Data told URN at Arua central police station where he had gone to register his complaint that he gave Kimani $7000 on Sunday afternoon hoping to pick Ugandan currency on Monday but was shocked to hear that Kimani had escaped to Kenya.

The West Nile region police commander Chris Barugahare said they can’t confirm whether or not Kimani has crossed to Kenya or is still in Uganda.

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Kimani is said to have worked in Arua town for the last 15 years and had made good business links with several businessmen in Arua and West Nile. Some of the businessmen have been entrusting him with millions of shillings to buy forex and pay back at his convenience.