The infamous Armenian brothers, Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargasyan had offered to supply Raila Odinga’s campaign team with bulletproof vehicles, former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka reveals in his new book.
Unbeknown to many, Mr Musyoka writes that he had a “one and only” meeting with the Artur brothers sometime in 2005 at the then Grand Regency Hotel.
It is during this meeting that the shadowy Arturs claimed to be security consultants and offered to supply the ODM presidential campaign team with the vehicles.
“I had gone to the Summit Club on the 13th floor of Grand Regency Hotel, now Laico Regency, when I ran into them (Arturs). Ken Ngumbao, a nephew of Nyiva Mwendwa, is the man who introduced them to me.
“They claimed they were security consultants and offered to supply the ODM presidential campaign team with bullet proof vehicles,” Kalonzo reveals.
The Wiper Party leader goes further to state that during the meeting with the Arturs, the two brothers asked to take a photo with him and he agreed - little did he know the photo would cause trouble.
“Before I left, they requested a photo session with me. We took a picture with them and Ngumbao. Later, this picture was widely circulated and some of my political opponents tried to link me with the Arturs, claiming I brought them to Kenya,” Musyoka notes.
“The truth is I had never met them nor did I ever meet them again after the Regency encounter”.
During their stay in Kenya before they were deported, Margaryan and Sargasyan were involved in a series of high-profile crimes including a raid on the Standard Group’s studios and the printing press.
Despite their involvement in the criminal raid, the Arturs stayed on in Kenya for a few more months until an incident where they assaulted government officials at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) leading to their deportation.
They had just arrived from an overseas trip and upon landing at JKIA they refused to be searched and assaulted government officials who tried to enforce the rules.
Mr Musyoka’s memoir, Against All Odds, which is co-authored by former Nation journalist Caleb Atemi was launched last year in Nairobi.
