Kamama: Probe never linked ex-MPs to drug trafficking

The trail in the high-profile investigations into drug-trafficking in the country has gone cold.

The revelation came three years after the US government delivered to the Kenya Government a dossier with details of prominent Kenyans allegedly involved in the illicit trade. That move sparked investigations into the narcotics trade in the country.

Chairman of the House Committee on Administration and National Security Asman Kamama told MPs in the House on Wednesday that the inquiry into the involvement of politicians had failed to yield conclusive evidence against the suspects.

Kamama quoted a letter from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) dated April 2013, which said the earlier investigations were shoddy.

“The facts covered in the inquiry were insufficient to incriminate the suspects for the purpose of prosecution,” said Kamama, as he read the letter.

He said the DCI had called for fresh investigations into the matter, and fresh interviews with the suspects. There is also an ongoing audit of assets owned by the suspects, and profiling and surveillance of the suspects.

Kamama promised MPs that the final report would be tabled in the House.

However, MPs were not happy that three years after the drug trafficking allegations came to public light, the police appeared to be still shilly-shallying when it came to nailing the culprits.

John Mbadi (Suba), Benson Makali (Kitui Central), Joseph M’eruaki (Igembe North) and Timothy Bosire (Kitutu Masaba) said it was wrong for authorities to prevaricate on the matter.

Mbadi sought specifics on the Kenyans who had been investigated  because the initial inquiry had exonerated former MPs (currently two of them are governors, one is a former assistant minister and another is a senator).

But Kamama said the former MPs William Kabogo (Kiambu governor), Ali Hassan Joho (Mombasa governor), Mike Sonko (Nairobi senator) and John Harun Mwau (former assistant minister) had all been let off the hook.

“According to the minister (of Internal Security) at the time, the investigations on the four are actually complete and there’s nothing to incriminate them, other than the audit on the assets. On the issue of incrimination, this report actually absolves them,” said Kamama.

The chairman of the House Committee added that six more Kenyans “who are very senior in this country” are being investigated.

But Mbadi questioned why Kamama said the Government continues to investigate assets of people who had already been absolved.

“I’d request the chairman to summon the Cabinet Secretary, Attorney General, Director of Public Prosecutions and Director of Criminal Investigations to explain what is it and who they are currently investigating, and if they have put assets under surveillance, whose assets are these?” said Mbadi.

-Stories by James Mbaka, Wilfred Ayaga, Ally Jamah, Roselyne Obala and Alphonce Shiundu