Kirinyaga Governor Joseph Ndathi dragged into Artur saga
Former Foreign Affairs PS Thuita Mwangi (left) and lawyer Wilfred Nderitu in a Nairobi court on July 14, 2014. PHOTO | PAUL WAWERU |
What you need to know:
- Joseph Ndathi denied fast-tracking the issuance of work permits to Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargsyan, saying any foreigner who met the qualifications could be issued with the permit within an hour.
- He added that he was aware a joint parliamentary committee named him as a key suspect in the issuance of passports to the brothers.
The controversial Artur brothers saga came back to haunt Kirinyaga Governor Joseph Ndathi as he was put to task over his role in the Armenians’ stay in Kenya.
Mr Ndathi was at pains to explain that his posting to the ministry of Foreign Affairs where he chaired the committee that approved the purchase of the Kenyan Embassy in Tokyo was not a cover up of his involvement in the Artur brothers’ saga.
He denied fast-tracking the issuance of work permits to Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargsyan, saying any foreigner who met the qualifications could be issued with the permit within an hour.
“It is not true that work permits were issued to them with my knowledge as the director of immigration. The permits can be issued within one hour so long as one has the necessary documents. That cannot be fast-tracking,” said Mr Ndathi.
He added that he was aware a joint parliamentary committee named him as a key suspect in the issuance of passports to the brothers and he was also aware that the committee recommended his investigation.
“I am aware, ready and waiting for those investigations. It is, however, not true that I was moved due to any shortcoming or as a cover up for the Artur brothers. It was a normal government transfer,” he said.
FRAUD CASE
The governor was being cross-examined by lawyer Wilfred Nderitu during the hearing of a case in which former Foreign Affairs PS Thuita Mwangi, former ambassador to Libya Anthony Muchiri and former Chargé d’Affaires Allan Mburu are accused of fraud in procuring the Sh1.1 billion Kenya embassy and ambassador’s residence in Tokyo.
Mr Nderitu said that Mr Ndathi was transferred to the ministry of Foreign Affairs as a cover up for his role in the Artur brothers saga. The two Armenians were allegedly hired by the State to set up a unit inside the CID that would tackle organised crime.
They had free rein but it turned out that they were mercenaries, hit-men, drug dealers and arms traffickers with connections to powerful people in the government. They were later deported.
The hearing continues.
