Uganda, be wary of Artur Brothers
Jul 03, 2006
Since their deportation from Kenya after their stage-managed airport debacle, a lot of rumour has been doing the rounds concerning the Artur brothers. One such rumour was that they had accompanied President Kibaki to Kampala for President Yoweri Museveni’s swearing-in, which the Nairobi State Hous
By Jerry Okungu
Since their deportation from Kenya after their stage-managed airport debacle, a lot of rumour has been doing the rounds concerning the Artur brothers. One such rumour was that they had accompanied President Kibaki to Kampala for President Yoweri Museveni’s swearing-in, which the Nairobi State House swiftly rubbished as a figment of political imagination.
However, a friend confirmed to me that the Artur brothers were in Kampala that day and flew back to Nairobi on the 8.00pm Kenya Airways scheduled flight. This must be a reprieve for government officials in Nairobi that they after all did not travel with President Kibaki in his private jet.
However, hours after their deportation from Nairobi, one of the brothers called several newsrooms in Nairobi to inform Kenyans that the Artur brothers had decided to locate their “investments†to Uganda since Kenya had become too tribal for international business investors!
I don’t know about Uganda but one thing is for sure; the Artur brothers may not find it rosy in the streets of Kampala the way they did in Nairobi. Their bling bling mentality may not wash with Ugandans.
Another thing; in Uganda owning a gun was demystified decades ago. Every body who needs to carry a gun carries one including street watchmen. Because of years of civil strife, almost every able-bodied Ugandan can handle a gun.
The Artur brothers are claiming that they are moving their investments from Kenya to Uganda. Let me tell my brothers in Uganda the type of investments they left behind in Kenya. They left two unidentified girl friends in Kenya, a shamba boy, two Tanzanian bouncers who have since been deported, six dogs they imported from Dubai, a fleet of close to 13 stolen vehicles, some of which were robbed from their owners at gunpoint, an unspecified assortment of stolen arms and ammunition, Ksh1 million worth of unpaid rent, imaginary real estate, several containers of undeclared goods now impounded at the Mombasa Port, thousands of US dollars buried in their compound and tens of stolen GK and Diplomatic number plates. These are the assets that the Artur brothers invested in Kenya and left behind.
Before Ugandans accept them into the country, they may want to think about the kind of embarrassment these two brothers have bequeathed to Kenyans.
In a matter of six months when they lived in Kenya, they infiltrated our political system, had a good idea of our security system through their connections in the Police Force, acquired Kenya citizenship, and had unlimited access to our security areas including the VIP Lounge at our international airport. They raided one media house and left destruction and mayhem in their wake. They had unlimited access to some of the most powerful political leaders in the land. Sadly enough it is difficult to quantify what our political leaders got from these thugs in return.
When they finally left Kenyan soil, the CID Chief, Deputy MD , Kenya Airports Authority and a number of security officials were out of their jobs. Now Kenya’s Parliament and a presidential commission are concurrently investigating their activities in Kenya, their associates and the level of damage they might have inflicted on Kenya locally and internationally. Does Uganda want to go this route?
Before Ugandans accept their “investments†they may well contact the CIA and the Interpol to tell them more about the two brothers. Trickling information may link them to gun-running assignment, drug-trafficking, mercenary and hit squads operations in Turkey, Armenia, Russia and Sri Lanka. If this turns out to be true, then Ugandans may as well inherit more dangerous criminals than rebel Kony.
The writer is an independent
journalist based in Nairobi
Since their deportation from Kenya after their stage-managed airport debacle, a lot of rumour has been doing the rounds concerning the Artur brothers. One such rumour was that they had accompanied President Kibaki to Kampala for President Yoweri Museveni’s swearing-in, which the Nairobi State House swiftly rubbished as a figment of political imagination.
However, a friend confirmed to me that the Artur brothers were in Kampala that day and flew back to Nairobi on the 8.00pm Kenya Airways scheduled flight. This must be a reprieve for government officials in Nairobi that they after all did not travel with President Kibaki in his private jet.
However, hours after their deportation from Nairobi, one of the brothers called several newsrooms in Nairobi to inform Kenyans that the Artur brothers had decided to locate their “investments†to Uganda since Kenya had become too tribal for international business investors!
I don’t know about Uganda but one thing is for sure; the Artur brothers may not find it rosy in the streets of Kampala the way they did in Nairobi. Their bling bling mentality may not wash with Ugandans.
Another thing; in Uganda owning a gun was demystified decades ago. Every body who needs to carry a gun carries one including street watchmen. Because of years of civil strife, almost every able-bodied Ugandan can handle a gun.
The Artur brothers are claiming that they are moving their investments from Kenya to Uganda. Let me tell my brothers in Uganda the type of investments they left behind in Kenya. They left two unidentified girl friends in Kenya, a shamba boy, two Tanzanian bouncers who have since been deported, six dogs they imported from Dubai, a fleet of close to 13 stolen vehicles, some of which were robbed from their owners at gunpoint, an unspecified assortment of stolen arms and ammunition, Ksh1 million worth of unpaid rent, imaginary real estate, several containers of undeclared goods now impounded at the Mombasa Port, thousands of US dollars buried in their compound and tens of stolen GK and Diplomatic number plates. These are the assets that the Artur brothers invested in Kenya and left behind.
Before Ugandans accept them into the country, they may want to think about the kind of embarrassment these two brothers have bequeathed to Kenyans.
In a matter of six months when they lived in Kenya, they infiltrated our political system, had a good idea of our security system through their connections in the Police Force, acquired Kenya citizenship, and had unlimited access to our security areas including the VIP Lounge at our international airport. They raided one media house and left destruction and mayhem in their wake. They had unlimited access to some of the most powerful political leaders in the land. Sadly enough it is difficult to quantify what our political leaders got from these thugs in return.
When they finally left Kenyan soil, the CID Chief, Deputy MD , Kenya Airports Authority and a number of security officials were out of their jobs. Now Kenya’s Parliament and a presidential commission are concurrently investigating their activities in Kenya, their associates and the level of damage they might have inflicted on Kenya locally and internationally. Does Uganda want to go this route?
Before Ugandans accept their “investments†they may well contact the CIA and the Interpol to tell them more about the two brothers. Trickling information may link them to gun-running assignment, drug-trafficking, mercenary and hit squads operations in Turkey, Armenia, Russia and Sri Lanka. If this turns out to be true, then Ugandans may as well inherit more dangerous criminals than rebel Kony.
The writer is an independent
journalist based in Nairobi