Kenyan port boss arrested in drug bust

TERRY HUTSON THE KENYAN government says operations at the port of Mombasa will continue without interruption despite the arrest and replacement of Kenya Ports Authority managing director Brown Ondego. The port authority boss was arrested last week together with the Mombasa harbourmaster Captain Twalif Khamis on charges relating to drug smuggling. Ondego, who will appear in a Kenya court this week, was released on bail after intervention from senior government officials. Police confirmed Ondego was taken in ‘for questioning’ in connection with a cocaine haul worth KSh6.3 billion (R4.8m) which they say had been smuggled through the Mombasa Container Terminal. Another large amount of the drug was found hidden in a speedboat imported from Spain. So far more than 20 people, including several in the Netherlands, have been arrested. Among them are several other port officials, including, it is reported, the Mombasa Container Terminal manager and an assistant police commissioner in Mombasa, whom police say ‘interfered with our enquiries.’ It is believed the police are also investigating charges that a number of tugboats were sold at giveaway prices to a Dutch businessman who subsequently sold them at their true value to a Dubai company. In another case senior KPA officials are accused of inflating the price of computers supplied by a South African company by about 150%. Investigations also uncovered evidence of a shortfall with the ports authority medical aid scheme as well as a travel scam involving the sale of airline tickets. Police want to question Ondego about these. Meanwhile the organisation Transparency International (TI) said it had informed KPA officials of massive corruption within the organisation but had been ignored. TI said it had observed a number of cases of bribery taking place within the port. Kenya has been listed as among the more corrupt countries in Africa.