State House official named in Arturs’ fake press conference
By Biketi Kikechi and Patrick Mathangani

The Standard, Kenya
July 7 2006

The alleged Government link in the Arturs saga emerged on Thursday
after an inquiry heard that on the day the two held a press conference
at the Kenyatta International Airport VIP lounge, a companion
identified himself to airport officers as a State House official.

In yet another day of astonishing disclosures, a security official at
the airport gave a step-by-step account of the stage-managed press
conference and how it was made to appear like Artur Sargasyan had
just jetted into the country.

Security officers organised for the gold-bedecked brothers to swagger
through Gate Six and use the VIP lounge to dupe journalists that they
were high flying investors.

The story, which unfolded like a chapter from a Western thriller,
was the highlight of Thursday’s proceedings at the Kiruki Commission
of Inquiry into the activities of the two alleged brothers who have
since been deported for causing a security breach at the airport.

Press conference

A security officer, Mr David Bosire Michiemo, owned up by telling
the commission that he helped open the Gate Six air bridge for the
guests, who had been sitting at a lounge waiting for the KQ flight
from Dubai to touch down even as journalists waited for the plane
carrying the newsmaker.

The two, whose identity remains shadowy, claimed to be fabulously
rich brothers based in Dubai and that the President of Armenia was
their uncle. They used the press conference to rebut earlier claims
by Lang’ata MP Raila Odinga that they were Russian mercenaries who
took part in the commando-style raid on the Standard Group premises
on March 2.

The bogus brothers claimed that Raila and MP Kalonzo Musyoka requested
them to play a role in the no- confidence vote against the proposed
new constitution last year.

The local media gave the press conference big treatment but raised
pertinent issues concerning the event, its planning and information
that Sargasyan’s name was not on the manifest of the flight he
purported to have arrived on.

During Thursday’s proceedings, the commission wanted to know the
identity of Messrs Julius Mwangi Maina and Alphonce Omita.

Passes for journalists

Assisting Counsel Ms Dorcas Oduor asked Bosire if he knew Maina and
Omita because they cannot be traced although they were allegedly
associates of the Artur brothers.

"We cannot find him (Maina). How do we find him?" asked Oduor,
but Bosire said he does not know him because they only met once at
the airport.

The commission was told that Maina went to the security office at
5.20am on March 13, and introduced himself to duty officer Mr Moses
Wanyonyi and Bosire as Mr Julius Maina from State House.

Wanyonyi who also appeared at the commission on Thursday, said he
received a call from his boss, Mr Stanley Mutungi, who instructed
him to have 10 passes ready for journalists the following day.

"He further told me that the instructions were from the Deputy Managing
Director Ms Naomi Cidi," said Wanyonyi.

Wanyonyi, 51, who has since voluntarily retired from Kenya Airports
Authority, said he handed over the passes to Maina and asked Bosire
to guide him.

Kenya Airways flight delayed

Bosire accompanied Maina to a Mercedes Benz car at the Airport
manager’s car park. Maina asked Bosire to escort one of the occupants
in the car, whom he later got to learn was Artur Margaryan, and a
woman to the first class lounge.

Maina asked Bosire to give the woman a pass as they went through
Unit Two while Margaryan and Maina used their own all-areas-permanent
airport passes. They went to the Duty Free Shops lounge, where they
were later joined by lawyer Fred Ngatia and Omita.

Ngatia and Omita had been waiting at the NAS cafeteria, from where
Maina and Bosire led them to join Margaryan and the woman. Bosire said
the Kenya Airways flight KQ311 that they were waiting for delayed
and Maina left after introducing him to Omita, who then took charge
and asked Bosire to accompany him to meet the waiting journalists.

Bosire said Ngatia briefly talked to the journalists before guiding
them to a different lounge for tea. Omita then frantically started
seeking for a place where he could type a document but none was open
at the time.

Stage-managed arrival

He then went to Cidi’s office in the company of Bosire, where he
printed a document from a diskette.

Cidi’s Secretary Judith Chepkor confirmed that Omita, whom she had met
earlier at the office, consulted Cidi and later printed the document
for him. "Omita told Wanyonyi to stage-manage the ‘arrival’ so that
reporters could cover the event," said Bosire.

Wanyonyi allegedly told Bosire to look for the security officer to
open Air Bridge Gate Number 06 so that the ‘guests’ could walk in to
be covered as they arrived.

The TV cameras zoomed in as the brothers swaggered through the gate
and to the VIP lounge that had since been made available for their use.

On Thursday, Cidi’s secretary corroborated the allegation that
Margaryan and Sargaryan went to Cidi’s office, from where they were
escorted to the passes office.

Officers in the passes office have said Cidi instructed them to issue
the passes on February 10 and June 8.