Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula has been mentioned in a corruption scandal involving British American Tobacco (BAT), one of Britain’s biggest companies.
BAT has been accussed of bribing politicians and civil servants in different African countries including Kenya, where it runs establishments, so as to defy the set anti-smoking laws.
In an investigative documentary aired on BBC, Wetangula, who was Trade Minister in 2012, features in court documents that revealed senior politicians who had been bribed by BAT.
The report on BBC's Panorama Programme also indicated that the tobacco company paid for a business class return flight for the Bungoma Senator to London, where he was hosted at the company's headquarters.
According to the report, BAT's Lobbyist, Julie Adell-Owino, who arranged the bribes, asked that the transaction be "paperless" and there should be no receipts in Wetang'ula's name.
Paul Hopkins, a former BAT employee in Kenya for 13 years, confessed in an interview, that he had broken the law for the tobacco firm claiming he was the 'commercial hitman'.
Hopkins further revealed that “It was explained to me in Africa that's the cost of doing business.”
Wetangula has, however, denied the allegations stating that he had no dealings with BAT.
The scam also touches among others a Ugandan MP, Dr Kasirivu Atwooki, whom according to the report was paid off by BAT to allow the company's operations in Uganda.
