Nandi Governor Sang wants to know ship owners in drug trafficking claims

Nandi Governor Stephen Sang has asked to be given names of the owners of a ship that was blown up in Mombasa with heroin worth Sh1.3 billion.

Mr Sang has written to Cabinet secretaries Fred Matiang’i (Interior) and Raychelle Omamo (Defence) seeking information on the ship’s ownership to help him in preparing his defence in the suit filed against him by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho for linking him (Joho) to drug trafficking.

The ship was destroyed in the high seas on August 29, 2014 under the supervision of President Uhuru Kenyatta. It was laden with 370kg of heroin valued at Sh1.3 billion.

The Nandi Governor through lawyer Dunstan Omari claimed since there are doubts on who owned the ship, the information sought will clear the air on who brought in the ship with the narcotics.

Maximum damage

“Sang is defending himself against Joho and the information sought will help him prove the allegations. The information will also help in unmasking the faces behind illegal drug trafficking that is destroying many lives in Mombasa,” said Omari.

Mr Sang, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa and Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa had claimed they have evidence that Joho engaged in drug trafficking.

But Joho in his suit responded that the claims by the politicians were deliberate and calculated to inflict maximum damage on his personal image and growing reputation.

“Mr Sang deliberately, maliciously and callously employed false facts, cheap gossip and use of emotive and slanderous language calculated to maximise the injury and social and political hatred towards me,” he said.

Joho swore that as a leader and mentor of youths, he is held in high esteem and is respected by residents of Mombasa, his followers, peers and colleagues in the Council of Governors before the words were published.

The publication, he added, had greatly and irreparably injured his reputation, integrity, personality and credibility as a role model to many people.

As a result, Joho said he has suffered distress, humiliation, public ridicule, psychological trauma, extreme embarrassment, loss and damage.

“Mr Sang while knowing the extent of his audience and the existing media coverage maliciously and spitefully conveyed the impression that I am dishonest, a criminal, immoral and a person who is unfit to hold public office,” said Joho.

The governor wants the court to award him general, aggravated and exemplary damages for slander, and an injunction restraining the Nandi governor, his agents or persons acting on his instructions from further publishing the defamatory words.