Kenya is seemingly a playing field for well-connected fraudsters who have no qualms showing off their flashy lifestyle on social media platforms. Interestingly, these individuals have close connections with powerful politicians and have at one time run for political seats. One Zaheer Jhanda has been accused of conning members of the Saudi royal family over kes250 million in an elaborate fake gold deal. So who is Mr Zaheer who is following in the footsteps of his tribesmen à la Don Bosco Gichana and Mr Robert Momanyi?
Personal Life
He is married to Aaliyah Zahee. Jhanda marriage to his second wife Faith Makau, a Kenyan Socialite popularly known as Amber Ray, ended under unclear circumstances. His first wife had accused the socialite of using juju to win over her husband of over 15 years. Amber took to Instagram to announce that she was no longer with Jhanda. Her post read:
“I would like to inform you that I am no longer married to Zaheer Merlahi Jhanda and no one should link me to him or his family in whatever way”
“It’s about time I share with you this very important move in my life , which will also set some of you free because you have been waiting for this day for way too long and I do not want to continue holding you hostage. Feel free to keep the screenshots, keep em’ receipts for future use.”
The 39 year old ‘businessman’- who is described as a prominent politician-has four kids.
Political Life
His stab in politics ended rather prematurely when he lost the Nyaribari Chache parliamentary seat to Richard Tong’I in the last elections. Why is referred to as a prominent politician by the mainstream media is a story for another day. He has kept away from politics to concentrate on ‘businesses.
Companies He Owns
Altana Corporation Ltd, a company associated with Mr Jhanda, was in the middle of the land compensation scandal that adversely implicated ex-chairman Mohammed Swazuri in corrupt dealings. According to popular blog Kahawatungu, Jhanda’s firm was seeking to extract kes140 million from Clarence Matheny Leadership Training Institute (CMLTI) in form of bribes to facilitate compensation of land acquired from CMLTI for phase II SGR construction. Part of the blog post associated with blogger Robert Alai reads in part:
An audio recording in our possession reveals otherwise. The conversation between CMLTI representatives and Altana representative reveals that the money, Ksh140 million could be part of a kickback Altana was soliciting on behalf of Swazuri so as to expedite the compensation.
Leases Choppers
In an interview with the Standard, the embattled politician claimed he owned two choppers that he leases out to clients.
Gold Scamming
The ‘businessman’ has been implicated in a multi-million-shilling gold scam that has led to friction between Nairobi and Dubai. Mr. Zaheer Jhanda had promised to sell the United Arab Emirates royal family 23 tonnes of gold only to do the exact opposite. In an elaborate scheme involving prominent political figures, Mr Jhanda alleged that the gold had been seized at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. This is after money had exchanged hands. The Royal family acted quick and sent their representative Ali Zandi to have the seized gold cleared. Senior figures are roped in with bribes allegedly exchanging hands to facilitate the release of the consignment.Mr Jhanda has come out to clear the air saying it was his first time dealing with gold and he couldnt tell between real and fake deal. He said the UAE gold deal was worth kes30 billion.
Zaheer Jhanda Net Worth
The businessman claims he is worth kes3 billion with most of wealth coming from land. Next
