Kibaki asked to help quell row with Arab nation

By Cyrus Ombati

Muslims want President Kibaki to intervene to quell a diplomatic storm between Kenya and the United Arab Emirates.

The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims Secretary General Adan Wachu said the storm, caused by deportation of members of the country’s royal family last month, is negatively affecting thousands of Kenyans doing business in, or passing through Dubai.

Mr Wachu said: "We would like the President to take this issue seriously and engage his counterpart in Dubai to solve it. We do not want him to send emissaries."

He told The Standard the deportation of the four on claims they were terror suspects was a mistake and asked Kenya to apologise to the UAE.

Those deported were identified as Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim, a soldier at the United Arab Emirates armed forces, Abdallah Saleh Omar Aljabry, Bilal Abod Slim and Muhtasam Mohamed Mafudh.

When they were stopped at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa last month, they lacked immigration stamps that would make it legal for them to stay there.

Anti-terror police later deported them despite denials they were terror suspects.