MPs probe hijacked cargo

A parliamentary committee investigating the hijacked Ukrainian ship has received reports showing similar consignments of arms destined for Southern Sudan were imported in the ministry of Defence’s name.

The Defence and Foreign Relations Committee chaired by Wajir West MP, Mr Adan Keynan arrived at the port of Mombasa on Thursday and interviewed officials of the Kenya Ports Authority and related agencies.

The revelations came as pirates hijacked yet another ship in the Gulf of Aden a day after they released a Japanese ship following payment of a Sh113 million ransom.

Similar imports

Somali merchant ship MV Awail that was carrying cement was seized as it sailed between Oman and Somalia on Thursday afternoon.

Sources said the committee was given details of past similar imports of T-72 tanks and arms and a list of those behind the importation of the cargoes.

The list includes top retired military officers and prominent Kenyan individuals.

Mr Keynan declined to comment on the probe, but sources said that details given to the committee revealed that the Department of Defence was merely “a conveyor to South Sudan.”

Several senior maritime officials in Mombasa have been interrogated in an investigation prompted by the hijacking of Ukrainian vessel MV Faina and its arms cargo by Somali pirates more than two weeks ago.

The committee wants to establish the ownership of the arms as well as past shipments reportedly handled by the port.

Among those interrogated was the port’s acting managing director, Mr Andrew Mulewa, Kenya Maritime Authority director general Ms Nancy Karigithu, officials from Rift Valley Railways, Kenya Revenue Authority and Port Police boss Nelson Njiri.

All those interrogated refused to disclose any information except the general secretary of Seafarers Union of Kenya, Mr Abubakar Kilwa Omar, who said that he appeared before the committee to express concern over the safety of the 21 crew members aboard the hijacked ship.

He also said that the committee was interested in finding out whether there was any relationship between his union and Mr Andrew Mwangura, who coordinates East Africa Seafarers Assistance Programme.

Before his arrest on allegations of issuing an inflammatory statement and possessing bhang, Mr Mwangura had told the media that the arms on board the MV Faina were destined for Southern Sudan, a claim the Kenya Government vehemently denied, insisting they belonged to Kenya.

Mr Mwangura had also said that this would be the fourth arms shipment through Mombasa in the recent past, with earlier shipments also destined for Southern Sudan.