Latest news with #DirectorateofCriminalInvestigations
LeMonde
2 days ago
- LeMonde
In Kenya, two young Belgians sentenced for attempting to illegally export around 5,000 ants
David L. and Seppe L., two Belgian teenagers from Mol in the province of Antwerp, became internationally known on April 5: Kenyan police from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, accompanied by inspectors from the Kenya Wildlife Service, discovered about 5,000 ants stored in syringes and test tubes in their hotel room in Naivasha, Northwest of Nairobi. The two friends, ages 19 and 18, claimed at the time that they were unaware that capturing these insects was illegal under Kenyan law and that they were simply pursuing a "hobby." This version has since been widely challenged following investigations by the Belgian press. Appearing before a magistrate on charges of "biopiracy" in mid-April, the two Belgians cited their "stupidity" and "naivety." Appearing in court alongside a Vietnamese and a Kenyan national, they were let off with a relatively light sentence and each was fined €6,800 on May 7, before being allowed to return to Belgium the following day. Highly sought after by enthusiasts Kenyan law imposes fines of up to €140,000, and even prison sentences, for trafficking in species that could disrupt the ecosystem. Penalties can be even harsher elsewhere. An Italian man and his son were fined €188,000 in Sri Lanka for attempting to export various insects in 2024, while in 2019, a Japanese butterfly and cockroach enthusiast was sentenced to two years in prison in Ecuador.
Mail & Guardian
05-05-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
Kenyan whistleblower faces lawsuit, death threats after exposing $2bn airport deal
Kenyan whistleblower Nelson Amenya. (Alain Jocard/AFP) When Nelson Amenya blew the lid on a murky $2 billion deal to lease out Kenya's biggest airport, he didn't anticipate the backlash he would face: online trolls, a $68,000 defamation lawsuit and death threats. 'They're after you, bro. Lawsuits or a bullet, your call. Quit hitting the state and watch your back. One misstep, and you're gone,' said a caller delivering one of the most chilling warnings. Amenya said the call came from a high ranking official in Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations he considers sympathetic to his cause. Public furore following Amenya's whistleblowing — and news that United States authorities had charged Gautam Adani, the Indian billionaire at the centre of the deal in his American dealings — saw Kenya's President William Ruto scrap the airport deal. Despite that validation, Amenya was targeted for speaking out. Business person Jayesh Saini, whom Amenya named among Adani's top fixers in Kenya, sued him in France where he is living on a student visa. The court dismissed the case in January, by which time Amenya had won Transparency International Kenya's Whistleblower Integrity Actions award and been named by the New African Business magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2024. But social media accounts continued to send him messages threatening that his mother wasn't as safe as he was in France. At one point, his parents called him saying they had been interrogated by Kenyan police over a missing car they didn't know anything about. Amenya's Kenyan business received a letter suggesting that it was under police investigation. Whistleblowers across Africa walk similarly bittersweet journeys of public appreciation and severe personal cost. Only a handful of countries — Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda — have laws that protect whistleblowers. Kenya does not, despite a years-long struggle to pass one. Elizabeth Duya, of Transparency International Kenya, says Amenya's fate could have been different if the Whistleblowers Protection Bill had been enacted. It proposes protections (such as a framework for anonymous reporting) not just for whistleblowers but also protects their relatives. Prohibited retaliation includes not just physical threats but also more subtle forms at the workplace and in court. 'It's one of the most progressive drafts we've had,' said Duya. 'It borrows from global best practices, including financial rewards for leakers,' said Antony Karuga, of Kenya's Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission. But the Bill has been in limbo since 2013. 'The political will just isn't there,' said Duya. It is 'bogged down in the slow churn of public consultations, parliamentary readings and political debate', according to Karuga. Whatever the cause of delay, the cost is clear. 'Fighting graft begins with speaking out, but in Kenya, as in many African nations, there's no dedicated framework to protect tipsters,' Duya added. 'Relying on vague constitutional rights isn't enough. That's why so many stay silent.' Where whistleblower protection laws exist, they have major blind spots, or their enforcement is weak. Ghana's 2006 Whistleblowers Act — one of Africa's most robust, on paper — hasn't translated to real safety. In a 2018 study, public policy scholar Joseph Antwi-Boasiako found that fear of retaliation outweighs the promise of justice. When graft is exposed, it is often met with official inaction. But when retaliation comes, the toll is heavy. Journalist Ahmed Hussein Suale was gunned down in 2019 after a lawmaker exposed his identity as one of the undercover reporters behind a graft exposé. His colleague Manasseh Azure Awuni fled to South Africa the following year amid threats to his own life. South Africa's Protected Disclosures Act offers some legal cover for whistleblowers facing retaliation. But, according to a Corruption Watch report, it exposes them to the risk of more direct threats. The cost of exposure was highlighted when Babita Deokaran, a whistleblower who revealed a $22 million Covid-19 procurement scandal, was gunned down outside her Johannesburg home in August 2021. With little to no protection, whistleblowers face stark choices. For Amenya, the ultimate price might be losing Kenya as his home. He said there is no chance that he will return home even though the student visa allowing him to live in France will expire in June. 'Not under this regime.' Yet Duya is hopeful. 'These laws show intent. With time, they could offer real protection and encourage more people to speak up.' This article first appeared in The Continent, the pan-African weekly newspaper produced in partnership with the Mail & Guardian. It's designed to be read and shared on WhatsApp. Download your free copy .
The Independent
07-03-2025
- The Independent
Kenyan police name three suspects in murder of Briton found dead in sack of pineapples
Police in Kenya are hunting three men in connection with the death of a Scottish businessman whose body was found in a sack of pineapples. Campbell Scott was found dead in a forest last month days after going missing in Nairobi. He had been attending a conference when he vanished. The death is being treated as murder and two people have been arrested so far. Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations said it is hunting three men who have 'fled and gone into hiding' following the 'heinous crime and subsequent dumping of his body'. The directorate named the suspects as Benard Mbunga Mbusu, Samuel Musembi Kamitu and Alphonse Munyao Kilewa, alias Edu. It said: 'The suspects are linked to the brutal murder of 58-year-old Briton Campbell Scott, whose partially decomposed body was found on February 22, 2025 in Makongo Forest, Makueni sub-county. 'Scott had arrived in the country just days earlier to attend a business conference.' It has posted images of them on social media site X and urged anyone with information about their whereabouts to contact them. Mr Scott was last seen attending a conference at the JW Marriot Hotel in Nairobi on February 16. His body was found in a sack in a forest around 66 miles south-east of Nairobi over the weekend of February 22, with his hands tied. Earlier this week a court in Kenya ruled two suspects in the murder inquiry can be held for 21 days for further police investigations. Reports indicate the pair appeared in court in Milimani on Monday, after being arrested in connection with the death of Mr Scott. Mr Scott, believed to be from Dunfermline in Fife, was a senior director at credit-scoring firm Fico. After his death was confirmed, a Fico spokesperson said: 'We are devastated by this tragic news. Campbell was a leader in our international scores business. 'He joined Fico in 2014 and was instrumental in introducing scores to new markets and growing our business with existing partnerships. 'We mourn his passing and will miss his humour and kindness. 'Our thoughts are with Campbell's family and friends.' A spokesman for the National Police Service of Kenya described it as a 'heinous, heinous crime' and said it is an 'intricate and complex' investigation being led by the country's homicide unit. A Foreign Office spokesperson said previously: 'We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Kenya and are in contact with the local authorities.'
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Three wanted over murder of Scottish man in Kenya
Police in Kenya have named three men wanted in connection with the murder of a Scottish businessman whose body was found in a sack of pineapples. Campbell Scott was found dead in a forest 60 miles (96.5km) from Nairobi after he went missing from his hotel on 16 February. The country's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has released images of the men, who they believe are linked to the "brutal murder" of the 58-year-old. They have been named as Benard Mbunga Mbusu, Samuel Musembi Kamitu and Alphonse Munyao Kilewa, also known as "Edu". The DCI posted a statement on X asking for anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact them. Two other men appeared in court accused of using Mr Scott's bank cards to withdraw money on Saturday. Mr Scott, from Dunfermline in Fife, was a senior director at the credit scoring firm Fico and had been attending a conference at the JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi. He went missing after failing to meet colleagues to deliver a presentation having visited a nightclub. His body was found in Makongo Forest with his hands bound. A number of arrests have been made in connection with the investigation. Police initially arrested two men - a taxi driver and a nightclub waiter - who are believed to have been among the last to see him alive. Then on Saturday two other men were arrested in Mombasa, 301 miles (485km) from Nairobi on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast. Officers believe Mr Scott visited a house belonging to one of the men, where he was killed. They allege that the same man withdrew money from Mr Scott's account at three different locations, working with the second suspect. A court in Nairobi agreed that police could hold the men for 21 days while the investigation into his death continues. A post-mortem examination into his death proved "inconclusive". Pathologists said samples would be submitted for toxicology testing after it was determined the injuries sustained by Mr Scott were "too minor" to have caused his death. The DCI has asked Interpol to help track Mr Scott's mobile phone and debit and credit card transactions. Two more arrests over businessman murder in Kenya Post-mortem on murdered businessman 'inconclusive' Scottish businessman found dead in Kenya
BBC News
07-03-2025
- BBC News
Three wanted over murder of Scottish businessman Campbell Scott in Kenya
Police in Kenya have named three men wanted in connection with the murder of a Scottish businessman whose body was found in a sack of Scott was found dead in a forest 60 miles (96.5km) from Nairobi after he went missing from his hotel on 16 country's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has released images of the men, who they believe are linked to the "brutal murder" of the have been named as Benard Mbunga Mbusu, Samuel Musembi Kamitu and Alphonse Munyao Kilewa, also known as "Edu". The DCI posted a statement on X asking for anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact other men appeared in court accused of using Mr Scott's bank cards to withdraw money on Saturday. Mr Scott, from Dunfermline in Fife, was a senior director at the credit scoring firm Fico and had been attending a conference at the JW Marriott Hotel in went missing after failing to meet colleagues to deliver a presentation having visited a body was found in Makongo Forest with his hands bound.A number of arrests have been made in connection with the initially arrested two men - a taxi driver and a nightclub waiter - who are believed to have been among the last to see him on Saturday two other men were arrested in Mombasa, 301 miles (485km) from Nairobi on Kenya's Indian Ocean believe Mr Scott visited a house belonging to one of the men, where he was allege that the same man withdrew money from Mr Scott's account at three different locations, working with the second suspect.A court in Nairobi agreed that police could hold the men for 21 days while the investigation into his death continues. A post-mortem examination into his death proved "inconclusive".Pathologists said samples would be submitted for toxicology testing after it was determined the injuries sustained by Mr Scott were "too minor" to have caused his DCI has asked Interpol to help track Mr Scott's mobile phone and debit and credit card transactions.
