UK to deny graft suspects visas

The UK government intends to bar Kenyans who have been accused of corruption from travelling to Britain, British High Commissioner to Kenya Nic Hailey has said.

Yesterday, Mr Hailey said the UK would ensure such individuals do not conduct any business within its borders. He said such people would not travel to the UK since they would not be issued with visas.

Provide list “The EACC (Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission) should provide us with a list of those implicated in corruption so that we can stop them from travelling to the UK,” said Hailey.

The British envoy also opined that people charged with corruption should resign from their positions in Government to help EACC conduct investigations in regard to allegations facing such individuals. Hailey, who is about to leave Kenya, said Britain would continue helping Kenya battle corruption.

The envoy, who said he had been holding constant meetings with EACC regarding corruption, revealed he was aware some big names suspected of graft were on the verge of arrest. 

 Hailey acknowledged that building a corruption case was time consuming and required ample preparations to gather solid evidence.

Bench-marking visits “Corruption cases take a lot of time before they are presented to court since water-tight evidence is needed.

It is to this end that we will seek to help Kenyans fight the vice,” said Hailey. “We will push for a shift from conducting meetings on how to solve corruption, to taking decisive actions.”

 Hailey said his country would keep working with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in building corruption cases through providing practical assistance in recovering stolen assets.

In an interview, EACC Chief Executive Officer Twalib Mubarak said the cooperation with the UK would lead to bench-marking visits to Britain.