UNODC partners Germany, EU, donates equipment to DCI in Kenya

Ibrahim Jaafar Olum

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has partnered Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union to donate assorted non-expendable equipment to Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) in Kenya.

While disclosing this on Monday December 7, 2020, Ms. Sylvia Bertrand, the UNODC Deputy Regional Representative, stated that UNODC will support the Government of Kenya to implement its legal obligation under United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime — Trafficking in persons and smuggling migrants protocol.

“UNODC will support criminal justice practioners in Kenya to detect, investigate and prosecute the perpetrators with a human rights and gender based approach,” Bertrand said.

DCI Director, George Kinoti, also lauded the donor partners for their continued support and collaboration in battling transnational crimes.

“DCI detectives are working tirelessly to nub individuals and groups that are engaged in such violations,” Kinoti stated.

Ms. Bertrand was accompanied by Thomas Wimmer-Acting Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Kenya, Ms. Katrina Hagemann- The Deputy Ambassador of European Union (EU) delegation to Kenya among other EU delegates.

On the other hand, the DCI received a donation of two vehicles from the United States Government.

The vehicles were presented through United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Nairobi country office to help support the DCI’s efforts to combat drug trafficking and transnational criminal networks operating in Kenya.

In February 2017, a ring of drug barons led by two brothers Ibrahim and Baktash Akasha who were involved in international drug dealing syndicate were arrested in Mombasa and later airlifted to the US federal courtroom in New York.

The Akasha’s admitted that they abstructed justice in Kenya by bribing criminal justice and law-enforcement officials.

However, those who were indicted in the bribery scandal have not been publicly named in the US legal proceedings involving the two brothers.

Both brothers pleaded guilty, Baktash, 43, was sentenced to serve 25 years Federal Correctional Institution in Oakdale, Louisiana, Southern US in 2019 while in early 2020 Ibrahim was sentenced to 23 years respectively.