MICHUKI: ARMENIANS NOT IN RAID
Story By Bernard Namunane
The Nation, Kenya
March 28 2006
Two foreigners at the centre of mercenary claims were not among the
hooded men who raided a media house in Nairobi early this month,
a parliamentary committee has heard.
Internal Security minister John Michuki told the committee on Legal
Affairs and Administration of Justice that the police team that raided
the Standard and KTN offices was made up of Kenyans only.
Kabete MP Paul Muite addresses journalists on the police raid on the
Standard Group yesterday Committee chairman Paul Muite yesterday said
his team would confirm the truth of Mr Michuki’s statement when they
question police commissioner Hussein Ali, CID director Joseph Kamau
and the President’s special adviser, Mr Stanley Murage.
“We put the question about the participation of the two foreigners
in the raid on the Standard and KTN offices to Michuki. He told us
they were all Kenyans,” Mr Muite said at Parliament Buildings.
The Kabete MP said Mr Michuki gave the committee crucial information
which it was pursuing and which could lead to more people being
summoned to provide information on the raid.
“For instance, we would like to know who gave the order for the raid
when the police commissioner was out of the country,” he said.
Mr Michuki was last week questioned by the committee over the raid
on the Standard Group by a gang of hooded policemen.
Orange Democratic Movement leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka
have claimed that Mr Artur Sargsyan and Mr Artur Margaryan were
among the raiders. They also claimed Mr Margaryan was the commander
of the gang.
Mystery surrounds the kind of business the two foreigners who claim
to be Armenians are engaged in. Mr Margaryan has personally denied
the mercenary claims and Mr Sargsyan is in Dubai.
Yesterday, Mr Muite made the revelations after chairing the committee’s
meeting ahead of questioning Maj-Gen Ali, Mr Kamau and Mr Murage at
the MPs’ Continental House offices.
The three failed to appear as planned because the clerk to the National
Assembly had not sent out summons as requested by the committee.
They will, instead, appear before the committee on April 10.
Present were committee members, MPs Kenneth Marende (Emuhaya), Moses
Cheboi (Kuresoi), Jimmy Choge (Aldai) and Amina Abdallah (nominated).
The committee, said Mr Muite, was more interested in questioning
Mr Murage, who reports indicate attended the meeting at which the
decision to raid the media house was reached.
Mr Muite criticised Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Martha
Karua for trying to belittle the raid.
“The… minister has been trying to downgrade our job by describing
the raid as normal police undertaking,” Mr Muite said.