Death threats: US tells Kenya to probe MPs’ allegations

Death threats: US tells Kenya to probe MPs’ allegations

By Standard on Saturday Team

The alleged assassination plot against four MPs attracted international attention, threatening to snowball into another crisis for the Government already battling accusations of extra-judicial killings.

On a day two of the MPs claiming to be on the list of a police hit squad announced they would seek the intervention of Prof Philip Alston, a UN special investigator, the US Government said it was "deeply concerned" about death threats against the MPs.

Last evening, Internal Security Minister George Saitoti claimed the chilling death-threat letter found in MPs’ pigeon holes in Parliament on Thursday was authored by a "serial psychopath" who has been on the prowl for 15 years.

Saitoti told a hastily convened Press conference that police had confirmed that the letter referred to "is among over 50 similar sensational letters hinging on security matters".

The letter, dated June 10, is handwritten on a police letterhead and addressed to Gichugu MP Martha Karua, by a Mr Wilfred Njenga who claims to be a member of Kwekwe squad, the police unit that had been set up to eradicate Mungiki but it has since been suspended. It accuses senior Government officials of the plot.

At the conference yesterday, Saitoti said: "The police letterhead is fraudulent and according to police records there is no such officer in the entire police force."

He showed journalists copies of more than 50 sensational letters written by the alleged anonymous criminal to senior Government officials.

Handwriting experts

"I have directed the Commissioner of Police to carry out further investigations to bring the author of these letters to book," he said.

He said police experts had confirmed the handwriting was consistently the same despite different names and writing styles for different letters. "I appeal to Kenyans to treat the letters with utmost contempt. I wish to assure individuals mentioned in the letter of their security," Saitoti said.

A day after State House rubbished the allegations, Imenti Central MP Gitobu Imanyara and his Ikolomani counterpart Bonny Khalwale told a Press conference at Parliament Buildings that they had contacted Alston over the death threats.

Imanyara, who on Thursday tabled in Parliament the chilling letter detailing the alleged plot to eliminate eight prominent persons, said he would forward the document to US Assistant Secretary of State in charge of Africa, Mr Johnnie Carson.

"I have taken up the matter with the UN office this morning. I forwarded copies to them," said Imanyara.

The letter accused State House of being part of a plot to eliminate him, Ms Karua, Dr Khalwalwe, Embakasi MP Ferdinard Waititu, former MP Paul Muite and two activists.

But in a rejoinder on Thursday evening, State House said Imanyara had sunk to his lowest ebb by making careless, unfounded and callous statements against the First Family in a desperate bid to gain cheap publicity. Yesterday, Imanyara questioned why State House had rushed to dismiss the allegations instead of ordering an investigation.

Through a Press statement released by American embassy, the US Government urged the Kenyans authorities to investigate the threats, saying it is closely following the situation and expects credible action to be taken.

Source credibility

"They should be fully and credibly investigated and, if found credible, those involved should be held accountable. It is not acceptable to dismiss these threats out of hand," said the statement.

It added: "These latest threats come at a time of considerable intimidation and threats against civil society and human rights activists. The threats occur at a time when the UN Special Rapporteur has called attention to the reality of extra judicial killings in Kenya, and at a time when the international community has urged action to stop extra judicial killings."

The Kenya Government, the statement said, should act responsibly and transparently. At their Press conference, Imanyara and Khalwale claimed the threats were part of a scheme to silence vocal critics, but added that they would not be cowed.

The MPs said they would not record statements with the police since "they are suspects and had in any case dismissed our allegations".

Khalwale said he, too, received a letter similar to the one Imanyara tabled in the House. Karua and Muite were said to be on a trip abroad and efforts to contact them were fruitless. Waititu did not answer our calls nor reply to our text messages.

Earlier, Deputy Police Spokesman Charles Wahong’o said security agencies have been mobilised to hunt down the author. "The author has written several malicious letters to civil servants at different levels, accusing them of all sorts of things."

By Alex Ndegwa, Cyrus Ombati, Maseme Machuka and Jeremiah Kiplang’at