Top AU official stranded in Nairobi as documents stolen during Ticad meet

Man caught on camera stealing AU official's belongings

What you need to know:

  • Mr Swaleh had gone for an accreditation card and placed his bag on top of a table.
  • A few minutes later, the bag was missing and he reported the matter to the security officers at the venue.
  • The suspect was captured on camera walking away with the bag.

A senior official with the African Union (AU) is stranded in Nairobi after his travel documents and confidential files were stolen in Nairobi during the international conference that ended on Monday.

Islam Swaleh, a policy officer with the African Union’s Private Sector Development, had attended the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad-VI) when his bag was stolen on Thursday at around 4.30pm.

Mr Swaleh said his travel documents — including his African Union, East African Community and Kenyan passports — were all inside the bag that also contained a laptop, copies of official documents, air tickets, a driving licence and car keys, among other personal effects.

Mr Swaleh had gone for an accreditation card and placed his bag on top of a table.

A few minutes later, he learnt that the bag was missing and he reported the matter to the security officers at the venue.

The suspect was captured on camera walking away with the bag.

He is dressed in a white shirt and a black pair of trousers. He is seen holding the bag with his right hand and has a white phone in the left hand.

“The bag and the laptop had crucial documents and information, some of which had not been backed up, about the past and planned meetings,” Mr Swaleh told the Nation.