The Standard, Kenya
June 10 2006

Expulsion isn’t all; explain this saga

June 8 will be remembered as the day foreigners intoxicated with
impunity tried to put our national security agents to shame – and
failed.

That night, foreigners who had hitherto strutted the length and
breath of our country with incomprehensible arrogance assaulted at
least one security agent and drew guns at others at the Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport – a restricted security area – thereby
triggering a terror alert.

The notorious foreigners of dubious origin claiming to be brothers
and investors from Armenia – Artur Margaryan and Artur Sagarsyan –
have many times asserted that no force in the land can touch them, at
least twice dared our Police Commissioner to visit their residence
and face unspecified consequences and once asked our internal
security minister to shut up.

All this time, nothing was done to them even as senior politicians,
led by LDP leader Raila Odinga, claimed that they were mercenaries on
hire. This paper even carried a Page One comment urging action on the
foreigners for asking our minister to shut up.

Shockingly though, that minister defended the foreigners in
Parliament where he said it was not his responsibility to act against
investors merely demanding their money back from their debtors.

While appreciating that someone has finally acted on the Armenian
menace, we wish to emphasise that their deportation is not enough to
put the matter to rest.

First, as we report elsewhere, the foreigners had been issued with
VIP Government passes giving them access to all areas of all our
airports. What was the compelling reason for the Government to issue
such passes to these two foreigners?

Second, after the Government-sponsored raid against the Standard
Group in March, Raila claimed that the two foreigners led the illegal
raid in which the entire raid crew was hooded. The Government has
failed to explain why official security agents had to wear hoods.

That notwithstanding, part of the arsenal police recovered at the
residence of the foreigners yesterday morning were balaclavas similar
to the ones the raiders wore. Is this a coincidence or is there a
link the Government needs to explain?

Third, the deportation of the foreigners before standing trial in
Kenyan courts raises a lot of questions. The foreigners had valid
permits to live and work in Kenya subject to our laws. Is the
Government trying to hide something by hurrying to deport them
without trial?

Fourth, the manner in which this whole saga was handled from the
start stinks to high heaven: Government officials contradicted each
other, and often themselves, over such minor details as the
nationality of the foreigners; the exact nature of their business
here has been kept secret; and the foreigners’ registered business
partners remain tight-lipped on what their business partnerships
entail. Who was protecting these foreigners? And what does that say
about the people tasked with guarding our internal and national
security?

Our position is that the country’s national security has been
seriously compromised. For a modicum of confidence in it to be
restored, the Government – specifically President Mwai Kibaki – must
immediately replace those tasked with its management beginning with
Mr John Njoroge Michuki, the internal security minister, if Michuki
himself fails to see it fit to resign.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress