The Armenian brothers saga is expected to top the agenda at Monday’s crucial European Union Heads of Mission meeting in Nairobi.
The Armenian brothers saga is expected to top the agenda at Monday’s crucial European Union Heads of Mission meeting in Nairobi. Two powerful Parliamentary watchdogs will also sit Monday morning to shortlist individuals to be questioned on the activities of the deported Armenian brothers.
On Sunday, the parliamentary watchdogs declared that any attempts to scuttle an investigation into the activities of Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargasyan would fail.
“This is a matter with a momentum of its own, and it is of such intense public interest that anyone trying to scuttle it would fail. But so far, no one has attempted to do so,’’ declared Kabete MP Paul Muite, who chairs the Committee on the Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs.
He said his committee and that on Security and Local Authorities — chaired by Changamwe MP Ramadhan Kajembe — intended to carry out professional investigations, which would reveal the truth about the activities of the Armenian duo and their associates. Key people to be summoned include Othaya Narc activist Mary Wambui and her daughter, Winnie Wangui, who have been mentioned in connection with the Armenians.
The EU Heads of Mission meeting is one of a series of regular monthly fora where members discuss general political developments in the country. Sources close to the mission told The Standard that the incident at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where one of the Artur brothers drew a gun on airport staff and its security implications, would feature at the talks.
Letters dispatched It also emerged that a commission of inquiry appointed by President Kibaki met last Friday and resolved to begin public hearings in a week’s time. Shedrach Kiruki heads the three-member commission, while Butere Anglican Diocese Bishop Horace Etemesi is its vice-chairman.
The commission, which was sworn-in by Chief Justice Evan Gicheru last week, has invited the public to present to it any information they may have on the Armenian saga. Already, the commission’s secretariat has dispatched letters to individuals and institutions with information to come forth and testify. Sources close to the Kiruki team revealed that letters had already been dispatched to the Kenya Police, Immigration Department, Kenya Ports Authority and Kenya Airports Authority.
It has up to July 31 to present a report to the President. President Kibaki appointed the commission to inquire into the activities of the deported Artur brothers through a Kenya Gazette notice last Tuesday. The commission will inquire into the activities of the Armenians and recommend investigation or prosecution of persons involved in the saga.
It will also suggest legal and administrative measures for the prevention of such breaches of security. Protest letter The Artur brothers have been declared persona non grata in Kenya and were deported to Dubai last Friday after causing a security breach at the JKIA.
So far, the biggest scalp the Armenian saga has claimed is that of CID director Joseph Kamau, and nine other Government officials including Kenya Airports Authority deputy managing director Naomi Cidi. And it also emerged that the British Government, in a strongly worded letter dated June 15, and sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, demanded answers to specific issues arising from the incident.
The letter was the second in five days to the Kenyan Government since the security breach at the airport more than a week ago. Sources said the UK was compelled to write “the protest letter” to the Government after it failed to get any formal response to the first, delivered only a day after the incident. Reliable sources told The Standard that the US Government had joined the fray and was consulting widely with other international partners on measures to take over the breach.
When contacted, however, the US Embassy spokesperson Jennifer Barnes declined to comment. “We have nothing to say on this matter at the moment because it is a purely local issue. When we have something to say, we shall let you know.” Security concerns But the US may be in attendance as an observer at the EU Heads of Mission meeting.
The forum is expected to discuss the Armenian saga and apparent Government inability to provide clear answers or take specific measures against senior individuals in Government directly or indirectly linked to the debacle. On Sunday, a source close to the mission said: “The EU has not taken a stand on the matter yet and this meeting could just digest the issues at hand after which a collective decision might be taken later.” The matter is also said to have been extensively discussed last Monday at a meeting of major airlines that fly in and out of the JKIA.
“We just exchanged notes on the matter but a final decision on whether to boycott JKIA or not will be taken after the matter has been analysed by the relevant authorities,” said a source who attended the meeting. Of major concern was whether the Government had the capacity to address security concerns when the foreigners in question clearly enjoyed backing from senior people in Government. Security passes There is also the question of the security passes allowing not just the two Armenian brothers, but also 51 others who are neither employees of the airports authority nor recognised security officials, access to all zones in all local airports.
“These are high-level security passes. Our concern is that if such passes can be abused this blatantly, what is happening to the other ordinary passes?” posed an airline official. From a preliminary probe ordered by Police Commissioner Maj-Gen Hussein Ali, it emerged that the two Armenians drew at least one weapon after having left the restricted area. In the letter to the Government, the UK says:
“This confirms that they must have been in possession of such weapons while in the restricted area. This is also consistent with our own eye witness accounts of events, which indicate that a Customs officer was also threatened with a weapon inside the Customs hall”. The UK said it was concerned that the ministerial statement in Parliament on June 13, and signed by Internal Security minister John Michuki was not consistent with the Police Commissioner’s report.
Source : Eastandard
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