KENYA 12 COMPUTER HARD DRIVES STOLEN FROM TRANSPORT MINISTER OFFICE COMPUTERSHeadlines | Twist as minister?s offices are raided
Sunday Standard Team


Transport Minister Chris Murungaru’s tribulations took a strange twist when unidentified people broke into his offices at Transcom House, Nairobi, yesterday morning and took vital computer parts.

Four other rooms on the 8th floor, where the minister’s office is located, were also broken into and computer parts taken.

The other offices broken into included that of Murungaru’s assistant Andrew Ligale, Permanent Secretary Gerrishon Ikiara’s and deputy secretary, P.K. Lang’at’s. The offices of the minister’s personal assistant Ben Gachichio were also broken into.

Gachichio confirmed the incident, but Nairobi Police Boss King’ori Mwangi refused to comment on the incident. Mr Gachichio said no vital information was lost during the break-in.

"We don’t know what they were looking for. They did not take any files and the laptops remained intact," Gachichio said.

But a source close to the minister told The Sunday Standard that computers and files were taken from the minister’s and his secretary’s offices.

Gachichio said he reported the matter to the police, who visited the offices and dusted the place for fingerprints. But he declined to say to which police station he reported the matter. Hard disks were stolen from 12 computers.

Asked about the incident, the Nairobi Provincial Police Officer, King’ori Mwangi, declined to comment on the incident.

Mr Gachichio, who was present when journalists visited, said he did not think the people who broke into the premises were targeting the minister.

"It is likely they were looking for spare parts for particular computer models," he said, pointing out that Mr Lang’at’s computer was intact while his secretary’s was vandalised.

"It looks like common theft," he said.

Meanwhile, Chris Murungaru yesterday dared British authorities to release a dossier they claim to have on him, saying he has nothing to lose.

Britain’s Home Office claimed on Friday it had revoked the minister’s visa because he was a security threat to the country based on intelligence on the Kieni MP during his two-month stay in London.

Sources at White Hall in London said the Home office was considering using the information, which it says was embarrassing, to defend its action in a suit to be filed by the minister on September 5.

But speaking in his constituency yesterday, Murungaru said he was ready to face any accusation, however damning.

At the same time, he hinted he may not renew his UK visa if he won against London in the case that would cost him nearly Sh7 million.

Murungaru said that he had no more interests in the UK and its government, which, he said, was treating him like a terrorist. The minister said he was challenging the visa revocation in court not because he had strong interests in the UK, but to prove his innocence.

"I will pursue this case until it is determined and should I win, I will give them back their visa to prove that I have no interests in their country," he said.

He made the remarks at Endarasha in Kieni after touring projects funded through the Constituency Development Fund.

Murungaru, who is defending himself against the UK, maintained his woes began after the Government refused to buy UK-made Land Rovers for security personnel in favour of Japan.

Murungaru said that his former Security ministry declined to buy UK-made vehicles, which were more expensive, and opted for those from Japan.

He was the Security minister at the time, but was moved to Transport in a mini-reshuffle early this year.

"The UK lost over Sh930 million business to Japan. That’s why I’m targeted," said he.

He explained that the UK vehicles would have cost the taxpayer over Sh4 million per unit, while the Japanese models cost less than Sh2 million per unit.

He said he had stayed in London for long because he was seeing a doctor.

"Every day I was wondering when I would leave hospital and that country," said the minister