Kenyans were shaken after a fake gold syndicate that conspired to con ruler of the Emirate of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum more than Ksh250 million.
It has now emerged that the brains behind the operation is a wealthy businessman who enjoys close relationships with some of the most influential and mighty figures in the country.
According to a report by Daily Nation, Zaheer Merhali Jhanda, who hails from Kisii, prefers to travel in a helicopter with another alternative of a high-end Lexus LX570.
Jhanda is known for posing in front of wads of cash besides supplying blogs with endless fodder whose height was attained in 2016 when he tied the knot with socialite Faith Makau, alias Amber Ray.
He started out as an event organiser in Kisii roughly 20 years ago before moving to Nairobi and cultivating a relationship with politicians' cronies before getting personal with the politicians themselves.
In October 2013, Jhanda was among an exclusive roster of dignitaries who accompanied President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto during their case at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Six months before the high profile visit, the businessman, who enjoys friendship with Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, vied for and lost the Nyaribari Chache seat on a Jubilee Party ticket.
In February 2019, Jhanda was also at the center of a Ksh927 million compensation scandal to a church in Ongata Rongai for the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission blocked the payout claiming that the whole operation was marred with corruption.
The land had been valued at Ksh600 million, but Jhand, a staunch negotiator who possesses only a form four certificate, stepped in and drove the land's value all the way up to Ksh927 million. He was to earn Ksh141 million from the operation.
It was also revealed that the controversial businessman befriended his flamboyant Kisii colleague, Don Bosco Gichana, who once gifted ODM leader Raila Odinga with a hammer during campaigns.
