Controversial businessman Kamlesh Pattni has sacked his PA who he has worked with for the last 20 years.
According to those close to the PA Joy Aranha, Kamlesh asked him to pack and go.
They say that there was no reason given for dismissing Joy.
When we tried to get a comment from Joy, he said. “I was just told to pack and go in May last year. Imagine Kamlesh sends me away after working for him for 20years. I stood with him when he was in prison over the Goldenberg scandal. I feel betrayed,” Aranha said.
He added that he is now in India without a job and that life is so “hard”.
Joy wants Kamlsh to reinstate him back to his job and pay him all his dues for working for him.
“I helped him make money. I helped him navigate muddy waters. It was tough but I stood with him. He should not abandon me.” Joy said.
When contacted for comment, Pattni dismissed the claims that he had sacked Joy.
“Joy just abandoned work and left. I don’t know where he is,” Pattni said on phone.
During the 2013 general election, Pattni vied for the Westlands Constituency MP seat.
Some of his staunch supporters then were- the then Student Leader of University of Nairobi Babu Owino who is now Embakasi East MP.
Kamlesh managed at least 10,000 votes.
Joy was his right hand man then.
He lost to ODMs Timothy Wanyonyi Wetangula who got 44,000 votes.
Pattni did not vie in 2017.
Last year, Zimbabwean Police said Pattni was briefly arrested together with his aides while trying to board a plane destined to Dubai.
He was reportedly carrying millions of dollars in what police said was suspected money laundering.
However, Pattni denied the Zimbabwean police claims.
Pattni is the mastermind of the Goldenberg scandal that saw Sh59 billion lost in fictitious gold exports.
He was also at the center of the tussle over the ownership of duty-free shops at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, which were repossessed by the Kenya Airports Authority in 2012.
He lost the shops on grounds that his lease had expired.
KAA said it wanted to decongest and upgrade the airport to international standards.
After the 2013 elections, Pattni relocated to Zimbabwe where he established thriving business.
He partnered with former Zimbabwean Vice President Joyce Mujuru.
With Mujuru’s help, Pattni got rights to manage the duty-free shops in Harare.
He now runs duty free shops in Zimbabwe, Kinshasha in DRC and Durban in South Africa.