A Congolese national already facing charges in an alleged Sh10 billion gold scam has been accused of using a Kenyan passport issued under another person's name, opening a fresh investigation into how he obtained the travel document.
Assani Elolo Ronaldo was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on October 13, 2026, as he prepared to board a flight to Entebbe, Uganda. He was later taken to the Kibera Law Courts, where he denied three charges linked to the alleged fraudulent passport.
The charges against Elolo include making a document without authority, presenting a false document as genuine and giving false information to a public officer.
According to investigators, Elolo was travelling with a Kenyan passport bearing the name Ronald Omondi Owuor, raising questions about how a foreign national allegedly obtained and used a travel document registered under a different identity.
He appeared in court on Wednesday, October 14, and was remanded at Industrial Area Prison as his defence team prepared submissions on the terms of his bond and bail. The matter was scheduled to come up again on Thursday, October 15.
Investigators reportedly established a match during biometric verification conducted by the Directorate of Immigration, which helped raise concerns about the identity attached to the passport.
Further checks showed that the document was issued on November 16, 2017. However, the application records indicated that it had been issued as a replacement for a passport reported lost.
Authorities are now seeking to establish how the document was obtained and whether the application process was properly followed. Investigators have sought Elolo's travel records, passport application documents and further identity checks as they pursue the case.
The latest charges add to Elolo's existing legal troubles over the alleged Sh10 billion gold scam, a separate case being heard at the Kibera Law Courts under Criminal Case No. 141/289/2023.
In December 2025, the court reviewed his bond terms and directed him to surrender his Congolese passport. Immigration authorities were also ordered to restrict his travel as the case proceeded.
Elolo's passport case comes amid another investigation into alleged identity document fraud involving Nigerian national Temple Tochukwu.
Tochukwu is accused of obtaining a Kenyan national identity card using the name Joseph Temple Obare. He was charged at the Milimani Law Courts over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of the identity document.
The two cases have raised questions about the safeguards used when issuing Kenyan passports and national identity cards, particularly in cases where foreign nationals are suspected of obtaining documents or travelling under different identities.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), led by Director Mohamed Amin, said the agency remained committed to tackling the alleged fraudulent acquisition and misuse of identity and travel documents.
The investigation into Elolo's passport is expected to establish the circumstances under which the document was issued and how it came to be used by a person facing separate charges over the alleged gold scam.