In August 2019, a man died in an American prison. But this wasn’t any man; it was Jeffrey Edward Epstein, a financier who made a name and a fortune from managing the wealth of rich individuals.
The official version of events was that Epstein, 66, hanged himself in his cell. But the circumstances under which he died remains a subject of controversy.
Epstein had been arrested in July 2019 after a newspaper published an investigation into a racket of sexual exploitation of girls — some of them minors. He was accused of sourcing the girls for his high-placed friends who would party in exclusive locations. Epstein
Earlier on in 2008, he had been arrested and he subsequently served 13 months in prison for prostitution charges. The 13 months he got, rather than a harsher sentence, was because of a plea deal he entered — and that also drew controversy.
Epstein’s demise became a highly political matter, not least because there was a trove of documents that had been extracted from his communication with various people. Some people demanded that the details be exposed.
Jeffrey Epstein is seen in this image released by the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on December 19, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
And so, when US President Donald Trump signed into law the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025, the public knew that some uncomfortable disclosures would come out.
The release has been happening in phases, with the latest one being on Friday. In a statement, the Department of Justice said that the upload had more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.
The court files released, so far, have exposed many high-profile individuals and the ties they had with Epstein. Viewing them with a Kenyan lens, one encounters Mr Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem — a man who communicated with Epstein about his ties with top government officials.
“I am in Nairobi attending the inauguration of Uhuru Kenyatta as the president of Kenya, whom I know very well,” he stated.
Epstein replied three hours later with a question: “Any plans for NY?” “NY” was referencing New York, but no context is provided.
On October 24, 2014, Mr Ahmed bin Sulayem informed Epstein about his meeting with Mr Kenyatta.
“I am in Mombasa. [I] had a three-hour meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta. We are going to build a big logistic park to serve Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, the Central African Republic, and Rwanda,” he wrote.
Mr Ahmed bin Sulayem runs a business empire. On the website of DP World, a company he leads as group chairman and chief executive officer, it is indicated that “his leadership spans across 83 countries, with over 119,000 employees of more than 165 distinct nationalities”.
Thirteen days before he sent the email about meeting Mr Kenyatta, he had also told Epstein about meeting Ms Amina Mohamed, who was then the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Cabinet Secretary.
It is not immediately clear why the investor had to brief Epstein about the meetings, as no replies were captured.
Mr Ahmed bin Sulayem comes across as a highly connected individual, as evidenced by an email to Epstein on July 29, 2013 where he asked: “By the way, do you still want me to arrange Sept meetings with Kabila of Congo, Bongo of Gabon, Macky Sall of Senegal and [Kagame] of Rwanda and Uhuru of Kenya? If I start from now, we can firm up dates starting mid Sept.”
People walk next to a mobile Ad Van that displays a photograph of US President Donald Trump and disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in protest of the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump in Aberdeen, Scotland, Britain, July 28, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
One of the proven strands about Epstein’s dealings was established in a case against Ms Ghislaine Maxwell, his one-time professional assistant who was jailed for 20 years in 2022. She was found guilty on charges of sex trafficking of underage girls.
One conversation in December 2010 saw Epstein ask one Irina through an email: “Anyone new for tonight?” She replied; “None, but I’m working on that”.
She then asked whether he wanted to see two people again. The names of the two have been blacked out in the released documents. Epstein simply replied: “Kenya.”
A December 2009 email conversation between Epstein and American publicist Peggy Siegal saw the latter inform him about a trip to Kenya from Amsterdam.
“We cannot thank you enough [for] yet another life experience,” she told Epstein. “If the Masai warriors don't eat us, the pirates from Somalia will.”
Ghislaine Maxwell.
Photo credit: AFP
Earlier that year, between April and June, Peggy and Epstein had exchanged emails where they were discussing the transportation of two girls to Kenya from an undisclosed destination.
Peggy’s email sent on May 26, 2009, made a reference to girls under the subject “Kenya”.
Two days later, on May 28, 2009, Epstein said he was to finance each of the girls to the tune of $13,000 (Sh1.7 million on today’s rates) for their Nairobi trip. The purpose of the visit was indicated as a “safari and internship”. .
“I am very familiar with the flexibility of some of the accommodation [venues] you have chosen,” he said in an email to Peggy.
One May 2011 email that referred to Kenya as a tour destination started with information to Mr Epstein that a girl whose name has been redacted “is finally turning legal”.
On May 24, Epstein’s email had some urgency to it regarding the Kenyan trip. On May 11, Peggy had written that the girls were happy to visit Kenya.
“As Paula just mentioned, the girls not only showed up for the conference call but are now totally excited about going,” she stated. The email ended with Peggy addressing Epstein with a loaded sentence: “We are all kissing the ground you walk on and the African plains the girls are about to ride on.”
Various recreational facilities are mentioned in the exchanges, mostly to do with plans to stay there for individuals.
“I am very familiar with the flexibility of some of the accommodation [venues] you have chosen,” he said in an email to Peggy.
One May 2011 email that referred to Kenya as a tour destination started with information to Mr Epstein that a girl whose name has been redacted “is finally turning legal”.
