By The Weekly Vision Reporter
Businessman Gor Semelang’o will spend the weekend in police custody in Dubai after a Kenyan woman filed a complaint following a disagreement over a club business venture. Confirming the arrest, Lawyer Donald Kipkorir said he had appealed to Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei to use Kenya’s cordial relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to secure Semelang’o’s release.
Kipkorir explained that, although business disputes are ordinarily civil in nature, such matters are treated as criminal offences in Dubai, leading to Semelang’o’s detention. “It is not right for a Kenyan to use Dubai’s legal system against another Kenyan to settle a contractual dispute. Gor Semelang’o is a good man with a big heart.
He was chairman of the Youth Development Fund during Mwai Kibaki’s presidency when the Fund was very effective. Gor is one of the few Kenyans who has no trace of tribalism in him. I pray for my BFF, and I am optimistic that the PS, who is my friend, will expeditiously bring the matter to a close,” Kipkorir wrote on his verified X account.
Initial reports circulating on social media had suggested that Semelang’o had been jailed for money laundering. However, Nelson Amenya, the Kenyan whistle-blower who exposed the Adani Group deal to modernise and manage Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), clarified that Semelang’o was in remand over a business dispute, not a criminal charge.
Amenya said the Kenyan woman had chosen to file the case in Dubai because the business in question was registered there. “My friend Gor Semelang’o is not in prison, and certainly not for money laundering. He had a shareholder dispute with a Kenyan lady named Mary, who decided to press charges in Dubai since the business is based there. He was placed in remand by Dubai Police, but the matter is currently being resolved. I will provide updates soon,” Amenya wrote on X.
According to Amenya, the woman had initially contributed KSh 3.5 million to start the business but was later demanding KSh 20 million after their fallout, prompting the dispute. The flamboyant businessman, who has been in Dubai for several weeks, was often seen sharing photos of his luxurious lifestyle on social media prior to his arrest.
In Kenya, Semelang’o holds business interests in oil distribution, real estate, and media, among other sectors. In August, he joined Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Democratic Movement–Kenya National Executive Committee (NEC), signalling a possible run for elective office in 2027. Kalonzo praised his appointment, saying Semelang’o’s experience in youth development and media engagement would significantly strengthen the party.
