IG Joseph Boinnet orders closure to UN ship probe, releases weapons to DRC

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet

MOMBASA: Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet has now allowed cargo offloaded from the Norwegian flagged ship which was detained at Mombasa port for eight days to be delivered to the Indian contingent of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Boinnet has also ended the investigation by a multi-agency task force that impounded the vessel on September 17 and held it for eight days.

The cargo belonging to the Indian contingent of the United Nations Peace Keeping Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was been cleared to leave the Port of Mombasa, according to correspondence involving police and Mombasa port officials.

The correspondence confirms that the investigation of the ship was called off on Friday, allowing the vessel and crew to fly to Southern Africa, West Africa towards Mexico.

The Standard on Sunday has confirmed that the Inspector General of Police  wrote a letter to the Principal Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Karanja Kibicho on September 25 in which he said that investigations over the suspect cargo aboard the vessel, MV Hoegh Transporter had ended and the ship together with its cargo should be released to the consignee.

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) through Principal Operations Officer Paul Kipkorir Bor confirmed the cargo had been released and directed consignee to clear the consignment.

MV Hoeg Transporter finally left Port on September 25 at night to continue with its sea trip after being released  the same day .

Meanwhile reports indicated the machine guns and cannons found with 34 armoured personnel carriers on the ship are still in police hands in Mombasa, awaiting armed escort to the DRC

Meanwhile Uganda based Timely Logistics has been tasked with ferrying the cargo that includes 34 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and two ambulances to thief final destination in the DRC.

An assortment of armaments which is part of the APC is reportedly to be under police custody for safe keeping as the entire cargo awaits clearance out of Mombasa under escort to DRC.

Documents obtained by The Standard on Sunday show that the UN’s logistics office authorized the inclusion of armaments packed alongside 34 Armoured Personnel Carriers APCs and two ambulances aboard the Norwegian flagged Hoegh Transporter ship detained in Mombasa port since Thursday last week.

The UN says in a letter dated September 15 that ferrying of armaments in the cargo was authorized as the guns were components of the APCs but which had been dismounted “for safe custody” in order to prevent damage “during the journey.”