Saitoti widow accuses Rawal team of cover-up

By Lucianne Limo

Nairobi, Kenya: The widow of former Internal Security minister George Saitoti has expressed fears that the commission inquiring into the death of her husband is protecting some witnesses.

Ms Margaret Saitoti, in a petition seeking to stop the commission from presenting its final report to the President, accused the commissioners of protecting major culprits named during the inquiry.

The widow has named the commission of inquiry chairperson Kalpana Rawal and commissioners Harold Tangai, Captain Peter Maranga and Fred Aggrey Opot as respondents. “The respondents’ actions are a deliberate effort to exonerate major culprits namely Euro Copter as well as Kenya Police Airwing, the manufacturers and operators of the ill-fated helicopter respectively, who according to evidence presented to the commission, had failed to properly maintain the aircraft,” she said in her affidavit.

The widow argued that the commission cannot present a final report without considering all material evidence presented before them during the hearing. She said the commission sent several critical components of the ill-fated helicopter for analysis abroad. “The results for the analysis have a high bearing on the inquiry as they were to assist the commission to establish if it was mechanical failure that caused the aircraft to crash,” Margaret said.

The commission, she said, in absence of all the results presented to it has purported to close its hearing and now has a final report to be submitted to the President any time.

Impartial inquiry

“Purporting to present the final report without results from the components is illegal, abuse of power and null and void,” she added.

On Monday, Justice George Odunga issued orders stopping the commission from publishing or presenting proceedings until all evidence has been received and considered.

The court also allowed the widow to apply for an order to compel the commission to do a full, faithful and impartial inquiry, which includes considering all material evidence before publishing or presenting the final report to Government.

Saitoti family lawyer Tom Macharia said the family’s objection was due to the fact some crucial components of the helicopter were sent abroad for further examination but the findings had not been submitted to the commission.

The lawyer said omitting the  findings will dent the report’s credibility.

He told the court that the purpose of the inquiry was to establish if the crash was an accident. “Failing to include the findings in the report will go against expectation,” he said.

On Wednesday, the judge extended the interim orders and asked the commissioners to respond to the suit and appear before him for hearing on February 21.