On Tuesday, June 30, computers donated by China to the Kenyan parliament mysteriously went missing on transit to the august house.
Details have emerged on where the gadgets went after vanishing from the container labelled diplomatic goods.
A report by People Daily indicated the machines had been confiscated by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) before the container arrived in parliament where it was found to be empty.
The NIS seized the computers on suspicion that they were bugged and were to be used to monitor the legislator's debates especially on the mega-projects financed by Beijing as well as keep tabs on other parliament staff.
The Media Max newspaper further noted that the NIS were assisted by their counterparts from an unnamed middle eastern nation to pull off the seizure.
This matter is said to have started a diplomatic row between Kenya and China over the bugging allegations.
When contacted Foreign Affairs CS Monica Juma declined to speak on the matter stating that she was out of the country.
“I am out of the country and cannot comment on the matter that is a bit delicate and sensitive,” Juma noted on phone.
DCI boss George Kinoti revealed that his team was briefed of the matter and would give details after investigations are completed.
“The matter is under our jurisdiction to get to the bottom of everything and once we are through, we shall give out full details. We are up to the task to get to the bottom of it,” Kinoti added.
“We are looking at a possibility that some people in China may have become worried by the concerns being raised by some politicians about some of the mega projects they are undertaking in Kenya and thus saw the need to monitor such talk through eavesdropping. This would enable them to determine how to counter such concerns,” a highly placed source in the security circles told The People Daily.
The donations included 46 laptops, five projectors and four cameras.
It is alleged that the gadgets had been bugged to enable outsiders to monitor what was happening in Parliament and especially in the Speaker’s office.
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