News

By Standard reporter

Serious administrative lapses facilitated illegal businesses of the Armenian brothers. According to a parliamentary report on the investigation into the conduct of Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargasyan, were assisted by police, politicians and other Government institutions.

The report tabled in Parliament on Thursday cites the recovery of police firearms in Arturs’ Runda residence, adding: "Yet another indication of administrative lapse concerns the work of the National Security Advisory Council (NSAC), which met to deliberate on the affair." The committee, it says, heard evidence from the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) that it advised NSAC that the Armenians resembled drug traffickers. "Under Min 19 C of the meeting of the NSAC held on April 26, last year, NSIS recommended to the council that the Artur brothers be deported as their continued stay in Kenya would malign the good name of the country," says the report.

Those at the meeting included Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Mr Francis Muthaura, Police Commissioner, Maj-Gen Hussein Ali, Attorney General, Mr Amos Wako, and Internal Security PS, Mr Cyrus Gituai. "Despite the advice from the NSIS, NSAC did not take action against the Artur brothers who continued to breach security with impunity," says the report.

Of the gun drama that the Arturs caused at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the joint parliamentary committee said: "Any attempts to restrict them resulted into a fracas … the brothers drew their guns in what turned out to be a despicable activity and a demonstration of the inadequacy of the Kenyan security apparatus at the JKIA." The report adds: "But more importantly, it showed the level of protection the two brothers were enjoying wherever they went". The two mercenaries caused riot in the country much of last year, even as the Government continued to deny the presence of the intruders.