Ms. Ory Okolloh is the Policy Manager, Africa for Google. She is a co-founder of Ushahidi and served as the organization’s Executive Director from inception until December 2010.   Ory is also the co-founder of Mzalendo, a website that tracks the performance of Kenyan Members of Parliament.
Ms. Okolloh graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh, and with a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She was previously a summer associate in Covington and Burling, Washington DC and a Chayes Fellow at the World Bank’s Department of Institutional Integrity.
Ory is a frequent speaker at conferences including TED, World Economic Forum, Poptech, CGI, Techonomy, Mobile Web Africa, and the Monaco Media Forum on issues around citizen journalism, the role of technology in Africa, and the role of young people in reshaping the future of Africa.
Ory currently lives in Johannesburg, South Africa with her husband and her two daughters.This blog is outlet for her personal opinions, commentary, and “isn’t this cool” links. While this blog is primarily focused on Kenya, she reserves to write about whatever she wants.
Props to John Palfrey and Andrew McLaughlin for getting her going way back in 2003.
You can contact her here: kenyanpundit -at- gmail-dot-com
Karibuni! (Welcome!).
I wanted to email you, but didnt see one..so I’ll leave a comment.
You got a great blog here. I worked a journalist in DRC for a little while…and experienced how difficult it is to get stories into the Western media about countries in africa. Blogs are the way to go.
I am now work with a community of Videobloggers who document the world around them. http://vlogmap.org
If you blog, its a simple process to take little videos/interviews and post them. we explain all here in this tutorial: http://freevlog.org.
Good luck. Im just planting seeds. Shoot us any questions.
Jay
Thanks!
Will check you out…
I thought maybe you’d like to leave a comment to my latest post. I’d like to know your thoughts on everything going on with the wars in Africa.
Do you have any email address you use for your readers?
Sorry i just saw it
Michael Mundia Kamau
P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya
Thursday, 23rd March 2006
I introduce myself as a Kenyan citizen and former employee of Barclays Bank of Kenya, who has just been dismissed from employment, and humbly submit the manuscripts below, which revolve around an interesting web of fraud, deceit and impersonation, that was unearthed at my former place of employment. These are events which largely took place in the year 2004. Eventual settlement to the victim came to approximately US $ 730,000, as far as i am aware.
It is a matter of public interest and trust that you and several others, shall without doubt remain captivated, as you read through the interesting trail of events below.
I further trust that you shall get in touch with me through my postal address above, should you feel that the matter warrants publishing, documentation, filming, or otherwise.
Yours sincerely,
Michael Mundia Kamau
Encls.
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 1
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
9th January 2004
Around early November 2003, a gentleman of Asian origin came to our office and asked to see me regarding an East African Breweries Limited (EABL), shareholding. He introduced himself as Mr. Pulin Shah, showed me an EABL share certificate, and made general enquiries on the sale and purchase of shares. We had a brief discussion and he concluded by saying that we should have a drink.
I didn’t think much of the incident and his invitation for a drink until he called me about a week later, and I told him that we could arrange for it at a later date. During this second encounter, Mr.Shah said he was flying to the United Kingdom for business, but said that an associate of his called Dr.Brian Peter Harrop would get in touch with me. Dr. Harrop, Mr. Shah told me, was of Caucasian origin. Soon after this, I proceeded to complete the remaining days of my annual leave starting 12th November 2003, and returned back to the office on 2nd December 2003. I had no contact with either Mr. Shah or Dr. Harrop during the period that I was on leave.
About a week after my return to the office, Dr. Harrop called me and again brought up the subject of meeting either him or Mr. Shah. I became very curious about why the pair were so eager and determined to have a meeting with me, though I did not mention this to Dr. Harrop over the phone. Dr. Harrop told me that he was in the country briefly, and was set to fly back shortly to the U.K. , where both he and Mr. Shah are based. Mr. Shah, who Dr. Harrop told me was also in the country at the time, would be here longer than he, and it was therefore more appropriate that I meet Mr. Shah.
I agreed to meet Mr. Shah at the Stanley Hotel on the evening of 15th December 2003 where we had a brief meeting before proceeding to the Serena Hotel. It was at the Serena Hotel that Mr. Shah introduced the subject of why he and Dr. Harrop wanted to see me. Mr. Shah said that he got to know of me through a reply I made to a “fictitious†query he had made regarding an EABL shareholding in the name of one Shantilal Meghji Shah. He went to explain to me in detail how he and Dr. Harrop were aware of big shareholdings in EABL that were dormant because either the shareholders were deceased, or had emigrated from Kenya several years ago, and were therefore unaware of their shareholdings, or had lost track of them. Mr. Shah suggested that he, Dr. Harrop, myself and a fourth unnamed individual who Mr. Shah said was a Kenya Commercial Bank Limited (KCB), bank manager in Mombasa, could form ourselves into a syndicate and fraudulently benefit from these dormant shareholdings. My role would be to provide information on the dormant accounts and advise on the documents required to effect a successful fraudulent transaction. The role of Mr. Shah would be logistics and that of Dr. Harrop would be to handle technical matters. The unnamed KCB bank manager in Mombasa would be responsible for handling the cash transactions in a manner that would not draw suspicion. Mr. Shah further mentioned that they had also targeted the KCB share register for similar fraudulent transactions. Mr. Shah also mentioned that “they†had so far pulled of a fraudulent transaction on the EABL share register for a shareholding value of US $ 250,000.
Mr. Shah suggested that I could meet Dr. Harrop before or after Christmas for more details. I told him that Dr. Harrop and I should meet after the Christmas holidays. Mr. Shah was so determined that we hurriedly conclude the groundwork to the initial process, and even left me with a cell phone handset that I could use to contact him, after I told him that I didn’t have a cell phone. Mr. Shah and I parted after about three hours. He told me that he was proceeding to the United Kingdom for the Christmas holidays.
On the 5th of January 2004, I received another telephone call from Dr. Harrop asking that we arrange for a meeting. I told Dr. Harrop that we could meet on the evening of 7th January 2004, and he suggested that we meet at the first floor lounge of the Stanley Hotel. He told me that he would be dressed in a white short sleeved shirt. I met Dr. Harrop a few minutes after 6.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 7th January 2004. At some point early on in the discussion, I recognised Dr. Harrop as the Caucasian gentleman who had visited our office some time in the year 2003, though I didn’t immediately tell him so. I remember the 2003 incident being one of a Caucasian gentleman (Dr. Harrop, who I didn’t know then), who had come to make an EABL shareholding query on behalf of a client.
Dr. Harrop introduced himself as Briton and a stockbroker by profession. He had stayed in Kenya and other parts of Africa for several years and was therefore conversant with the continent. He told me he had met Mr. Shah, an Asian Kenyan, during his stay in Kenya 14 years ago, and again when both he and Mr. Shah emigrated again to the U.K. five years ago. Dr. Harrop told me that Mr. Shah was also a stockbroker by training and had spent several years in the United States prior to 1989, something Mr. Shah had also told me during our meeting of 15th December 2003. It was during this introductory period that I told him that I recognised him from a visit to our office in the year 2003. This shocked and surprised him because he didn’t expect that anyone remembered the incident, which he said happened in June 2003. This did not however deter him from giving me details on the intended scam Mr. Shah told me about on 15th December 2003.
Dr. Harrop told me that he had not intended to tell me about his 2003 visit to our office or about the details of the US $ 250,000 fraudulent transaction mentioned to me by Mr. Shah on 15th December 2003, but was forced by my recognition of him to admit that his visit to our office formed the concluding stages of the US $ 250,000 fraud. From that time on I noted that my recognition of him disturbed him considerably.
Dr. Harrop told me that the fraudulent sale was made in July 2003 through Messrs. Nyaga Stockbrokers Limited of P.O. Box 41868, Nairobi, Kenya, details of which I could half remember, something that further disturbed Dr. Harrop. I concluded my two and a half hour meeting with Dr. Harrop giving me two possible references of dormant EABL shareholdings i.e. share a/c No. XXXXXXXX with a holding of 22,500 shares in the name of Shantilal Meghji Shah, and a/c No. XXXXXXXX with a holding of 51,455 shares in the name of Michael Macdonald. Dr. Harrop appeared much more trusting of me than Mr. Shah.
The following day, Thursday, 8th January 2004, I did a check on the two accounts given to me by Dr. Harrop and found that they did not exist. I also did a check on the EABL transactions of July 2003, and established that the transaction mentioned to me by Dr. Harrop the previous day was for a shareholding of 77,610 shares held by way of share a/c No. XXXXXXXX, in the name of Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney of 14 Lyndhrust Avenue, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex, TW 166QY, United Kingdom.
In the evening of Thursday, 8th January 2004, a few minutes after 6.00 p.m., I again met Dr. Harrop at the first floor lounge of the Stanley Hotel. I told him that the two accounts he had given me did not exist. This upset him and he mentioned how unreliable his sources were becoming. He declined to reveal his sources but further mentioned how they almost messed up the US $ 250,000 fraudulent transaction involving EABL share a/c No. XXXXXXXX mentioned above. Some of the information provided for the fraudulent transaction involving EABL share a/c No. XXXXXXXX was faulty, according to Dr. Harrop, and he was sure that problems would arise in the near future. He also mentioned how a big part of the problem involved regularly encashed dividend payments for a/c No. XXXXXXXX, which was bound to raise queries, because the entire shareholding of 77,610 shares had been sold. Dr. Harrop also declined to tell me how he knew of the history of the regularly encashed dividend payments for a/c No. XXXXXXXX.
On the evening of 8th January 2004, Dr. Harrop also made mention of an extra individual in the proposed scam whom he described as an expert at forgeries. It was this unnamed “expert forger†who had introduced me as a reference to him and Mr. Shah, in addition to the letter I wrote that Mr. Shah mentioned to me on 15th December 2003. Dr. Harrop however declined to reveal the identity of the “expert forgerâ€, but said that it could be arranged for me to meet him. He further outlined how the proceeds of a fraudulent transaction would be split i.e. the unannmed KCB bank manager in Mombasa, 10%, the unnamed expert forger, 22.5%, myself, 22.5%, Dr. Harrop, 22.5% and Mr. Shah, 22.5%.
Dr. Harrop insisted that I move urgently to identify dormant accounts in EABL and British American Tobacco (Kenya) Limited (B.AT.), to enable the “syndicate†process the necessary documentation and quickly reap the “proceedsâ€. Dr. Harrop even suggested that we execute our first “job†in a week’s time. I told Dr. Harrop “to give me time†to identity dormant accounts without drawing suspicion. I noted that he seemed to have a lot of “trust†in me. We parted ways again after about two and a half hours and agreed that Mr. Shah and I would meet in two week’s time from 8th January 2004.
In the morning of Friday, 9th January 2004, I made a verbal report of all the above information to my superiors Mr. Joseph Gichuhi and Mr. Mark Mbwayo, and after discussion, was asked to prepare this written report.
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 2
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
24th February 2004
Further to my report of 9th January 2004, I have either spoken or met Mr. Pulin Shah and Dr. Brian Peter Harrop on roughly nine occasions. I have also been in constant communication with Mr. George Otieno of Barclays Africa Security and Investigative Services (BASIS), since 9th January 2004.
On Thursday, 19th February 2004, I had a meeting with Mr. Otieno and a Mr. Kisaka of the Central Bank of Kenya Banking Fraud Investigation Unit, and they both advised me to activate the cell phone handset given to me by Mr. Shah on 15th December 2003. This I did on Friday, 20th February 2004 by acquiring Safaricom cell phone No. XXXX XXXXXX.
On Monday, 23rd February 2004, I met Mr. Shah at The Stanley Hotel’s Thorn Tree restaurant at about 6.15 p.m. As was the case on 15th December 2003, we chatted briefly and proceeded to The Serena Hotel poolside bar. At the Serena Hotel, I gave Mr. Shah six dormant accounts sanctioned by the Office i.e. Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited, which “we were to target for our fraudulent schemesâ€. Mr. Shah was pleased with the progress and said he would report the same back to Dr. Harrop, who he said was currently in the United Kingdom. We then engaged in general and lengthy discussions over drinks, Mr. Shah drinking red wine and I, Tusker Lager beers.
In between, we were joined by a lady friend of Mr. Shah’s called Natalya, a Russian residing in Nairobi. In between also, the alcohol starting taking effect and Mr. Shah slightly let down his guard. During this lapse, I gathered from Mr. Shah that local Kenyan Whites, who Mr. Shah referred to as “KCs†i.e. “Karen Cowboysâ€, were involved in the US $ 250,000 fraudulent transaction involving EABL share a/c No. XXXXXXXX in the name of Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney. He did not however reveal their identities. He like Dr. Harrop, was also upset at being partly “double crossed†by the “Karen Cowboysâ€. According to Mr. Shah for instance, the “Karen Cowboys†said that they had an inside contact in Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited, which he and Brian later established was not true. Mr. Shah also made mention of “some Kikuyus†who wanted “more than their fair share of the spoilsâ€, something that also displeased both he and Dr. Harrop. Regarding the above Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney case, when Dr. Harrop and I met at The Stanley Hotel on 12th February 2004, he did mention a contact at the Head Office of East African Breweries Limited, who enabled them obtain the specimen signature of Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney. He revealed nothing further, however. On the three occasions that Dr. Harrop and I have met, we have both been drinking Tusker Lager beers, but Dr. Harrop appears more stringent with his guard than Mr. Shah.
My meeting with Mr. Shah on Monday, 23rd February 2004, ended at 11.00 p.m. at The Serena Hotel. He dropped me in town five minutes later, and we planned to have dinner on Wednesday, 25th February 2004. “Definite action plans†would be drawn up at the dinner meeting of Wednesday, 25th February 2004.
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 3
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
26th February 2004
Further to my meeting with Mr. Shah on the 23rd February 2004, I spoke to him the following day i.e. Tuesday, 24th February 2004 through cell phone. He said that he had communicated with Dr. Harrop regarding the six accounts I had given him the previous day. Dr. Harrop he said, was however uncomfortable with the nature of the accounts i.e. three were in the names of deceased persons, one was a joint shareholding, and the other was in the name of a lady. Only one share account of the six that I given Mr. Shah, therefore seemed viable. During my meeting with Dr. Harrop on 7th January 2004, I had given him the impression that we were very strict with Probate documents issued overseas, and would sometimes go to the length of verifying them through locally based Embassies and High Commissions. Dr. Harrop was thus uncomfortable with shareholdings held by deceased persons.
Mr. Shah therefore urged me to identify two other accounts, one in the name of a White, and the other in the name of an Asian. I told him that we would therefore have to re-schedule our meeting of Wednesday, 25th February 2004 to Thursday, 26th February 2004. Mr. Shah had no objection with the postponement.
I reported this to the Head of Registrar Services who felt the need to stick to the original meeting date of Wednesday, 25th February 2004. The Head of Registrar Services asked me to get in touch with Mr. Shah again and discreetly tell him that I had been able to identify two further accounts in advance. This would make it possible for Mr. Shah and I to stick to our original meeting date of Wednesday, 25th February 2004.
The Head of Registrar Services arranged for the identification of two further accounts and I called Mr. Shah again on cell phone to notify him that I had located two accounts in advance. Mr. Shah was excited at this news and asked that we meet at The Stanley Hotel’s Thorn Tree restaurant at 6.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 25th February 2004. I also called Mr. Kisaka of the Central Bank of Kenya Banking Fraud Investigation Unit on cell phone, to notify him of the meeting. While waiting for Mr. Shah at The Stanley Hotel’s Thorn Tree restaurant, I noted the presence of Mr. Kisaka of the Central Bank of Kenya Banking Fraud Investigation Unit. Mr. Kisaka was in the company of a second gentleman.
Mr. Shah arrived at about 6.45 p.m. and we proceeded to The Serena Hotel poolside bar. Mr. Shah was very excited with the two extra identified accounts, one with a holding of 70,291 EABL shares, and the other with a holding of 15,940 EABL shares, something he continually mentioned for the rest of the evening. As was the case on Monday, 23rd February 2004, we engaged in discussions over drinks, Mr. Shah drinking red wine and I, Tusker Lager beers. He however said that he needed the postal addresses we had on record for the two accounts, as well as details of all unpaid dividends. Mr. Shah also mentioned that Dr. Harrop had said that I also actively pursue the identification of dormant British American Tobacco (Kenya) Limited (B.AT.), share accounts. The issue of payoffs came up once again during our discussions. I reminded Mr. Shah of the pledge he made on 15th December 2003, to arrange for the “share of my proceeds†to be discreetly handled through the Kenya Commercial Bank Limited banking network by the unnamed Mombasa based Kenya Commercial Bank Limited bank manager. He told me not to worry at all about this, and stuck to his initial pledge. He did however add that he had good connections in Kenyan branches of the Investments & Mortgages Bank (I & M), as an alternative to Kenya Commercial Bank Limited, if operating a Kenya Commercial Bank Limited account would prove too cumbersome for me.
In between, Mr. Shah and I were once again joined by his Russian lady friend Natalya, in the company of a light skinned gentleman introduced as Fabian. The four of us continued to have drinks and concluded with dinner at the Mandhari restaurant, all paid for by Mr. Shah. The total bill came to about US $ 200.
The session ended at about 11.40 p.m. and I was dropped in town five minutes later. Mr. Shah and I agreed that I would provide him with the additional information the following day i.e. Thursday, 26th February 2004.
I reported this to the Head of Registrar Services the following day i.e. Thursday, 26th February 2004, and he authorised me to provide Mr. Shah with the additional information he required.
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 4
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
27th February 2004
Further to my meeting with Mr. Shah on Wednesday, 25th February 2004, we had a brief meeting the following day, Thursday, 26th February 2004 at approximately 6.42 p.m. at Nairobi’s Grand Regency Hotel.
As scheduled, I gave him the postal addresses and dividend payment statements for East African Breweries Limited share account numbers XXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX in the names of Timothy Stuart Hurst and Suresh Jasraj Seth, respectively. Mr. Shah strong reservations about Timothy Stuart Hurst’s EABL share account inspite of it’s “attractive†shareholding of 70,291 shares, because all dividends had been regularly encashed over the years, save for one unclaimed dividend dating back to 1997 for an amount of US $ 6,356. He said that he therefore had to confer first with Dr. Harrop on how to approach Timothy Stuart Hurst’s EABL share account, because as he put it, problems could arise in six months time. All dividends for Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL share account (15,940 shares), were however unpaid, and Mr. Shah felt that fraudulent transactions on this particular account could commence immediately.
We agreed that I would provide him with the general e-mail address for Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited the following day i.e. Friday, 27th February 2004, which he and Dr. Harrop would use for initial contact with Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited. As indicated, the meeting was brief and ended at about 6.55 p.m.
On Friday morning, 27th February 2004, I sent Mr. Shah the general e-mail address for Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited i.e. bbk@africaonline.co.ke, by Short Messaging Services (SMS), and he acknowledged receipt with thanks through the same SMS medium.
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 5
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
3rd March 2004
Further to Friday morning, 27th February 2004, I sent Mr. Shah an SMS on Monday morning, 1st March 2004, asking him whether there were any new developments. He did not respond to my message.
On Monday evening, 1st March 2004, I went to watch a film at Nairobi’s Kenya cinema and therefore switched off the mobile given to me by Mr. Shah on 15th December 2003. The film ended a few minutes after 8.00 p.m. When I switched on the mobile again, I found an SMS message from Mr. Shah telling me that he had tried to call me unsuccessfully. I attended to other private matters and then called Mr. Shah at 9.30 p.m. Mr. Shah told me that Dr. Harrop had already sent an e-mail to bbk@africaonline.co.ke, and as he put it “the ball was already rollingâ€.
On Tuesday morning, 2nd March 2004, I reported the progress to the Head of Registrar Services, who then made enquiries about the e-mail to the relevant persons. The response was that bbk@africaonline.co.ke, was an obsolete e-mail address. I was then provided with two alternative e-mail addresses i.e. barclays.kenya@barclays.com and azu.ogola@barclays.com, for me to pass on to Mr. Shah. This I did through SMS at approximately 12.23 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, 2nd March 2004. The e-mail address I sent to Mr. Shah by SMS was barclays.kenya@barclays.com. I also apologised to Mr. Shah in the same SMS, for providing the initial obsolete e-mail address. Mr. Shah acknowledged receipt with thanks by SMS.
I tried calling Mr. Shah on Tuesday evening, 2nd March 2004 to ask him whether there was any need for us to meet the same evening, but couldn’t get through. I however left a message for him on his voice mail. I similarly went to watch a film at Nairobi’s 20th Century Fox Theatre on Tuesday evening, 2nd March 2004, and again switched off the mobile given to me by Mr. Shah on 15th December 2003. After the film ended at about 8.00 p.m., I switched on the mobile and again found an SMS message from Mr. Shah telling me he had tried to call me unsuccessfully. I called Mr. Shah at 8.08 p.m. and he told me that he had sent the e-mail address i.e. barclays.kenya@barclays.com, to Dr. Harrop, who had already sent a fresh e-mail. Mr. Shah also told me that the first e-mail sent by Dr. Harrop to bbk@africaonline.co.ke, had already returned back to sender as “undeliverableâ€. We agreed that we would talk the following day, Wednesday, 3rd March 2004, to review the progress.
Inconsistencies in some of the things that Mr. Shah is telling me are detectable. For instance, in our first meeting of 15th December 2003, Mr. Shah told me he attended Lenana School in the 1970s. On Monday, 23rd February 2004 while I was conversing generally with Mr. Shah, he at one moment however “recalled his school days in Nairobi School with among others, Gideon Moiâ€. It is general knowledge that Gideon Moi attended Nairobi’s St. Mary’s School.
It also appears that Mr. Shah has a hand in other dealings. During our brief meeting on Thursday evening, 26th February 2004 at Nairobi’s Grand Regency Hotel, Pulin told me he was scheduled that evening, to meet a gentleman from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), who helps him with errands related to Personal Identification Numbers (PIN). Mr. Shah did not however elaborate.
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 6
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
8th March 2004
Further to Wednesday morning, 3rd March 2004, I called Mr. Shah by way of cell phone on Thursday morning, 4th March 2004 at 11.18 p.m. Mr. Shah told me he had not received word from Dr. Harrop regarding progress. Mr. Shah however told me he would call me back.
Mr. Shah called me back by way of cell phone on Thursday afternoon, 4th March 2004 at 12.53 p.m. and told me that the Head of Registrar Services had responded to Dr. Harrop’s e-mail (see report of 3rd March 2004), asking that a formal written letter of enquiry be prepared. Mr. Shah wanted to know from me whether I would be able to obtain the specimen signature of Suresh Jasraj Seth (see report of 27th February 2004), in the period Thursday, 4th March 2004 and Friday, 5th March 2004, which Dr. Harrop could then use in compiling the formal letter asked for. I told Mr. Shah I could not be sure of this. Mr. Shah told me that if I was not able to obtain the specimen signature on either Thursday, 4th March 2004 or Friday, 5th March 2004, then it would have to wait for the week beginning 7th March 2004, when Dr. Harrop was due in the country. Mr. Shah told me he was flying back to the United Kingdom on Friday, 5th March 2004.
I tried calling Mr. Shah unsuccessfully by way of cell phone for most of the day on Friday, 5th March 2004. A hitch in the Safaricom network on Friday, 5th March 2004 hindered communication. I did manage to send Mr. Shah an SMS. Mr. Shah however called me by way of cell phone on Friday evening, 5th March 2004 at 6.50 p.m. He acknowledged the hitch in the Safaricom network. Mr. Shah told me that his plans to fly out that evening still stood, and he told me that Dr. Harrop was due in the country on either Monday, 8th March 2004 or Tuesday, 9th March 2004. Mr. Shah told me that Dr. Harrop had my cell phone number which he would use to get in touch with me. Mr. Shah also told me he would be back in the country around 23rd March 2004. I told Mr. Shah that “I would not let them downâ€.
Dr. Harrop has on two occasions mentioned to me that he keeps a private office here in Nairobi “looked after by a local from Western Kenyaâ€.
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 7
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
10th March 2004
On Tuesday morning 9th March 2004, George Otieno of Barclays Africa Security and Investigative Services (BASIS), called me for an update on developments. I personally delivered Mr. Otieno copies of the reports I have been compiling to his Market Branch office, at approximately 11.30 a.m. on 9th March 2004.
Soon after I returned to Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited at about 11.40 a.m. on 9th March 2004, Dr. Harrop called me and told me that he was in the country as discussed by Mr. Shah and myself in the week ended 6th March 2004. Dr. Harrop asked me whether I had been able to obtain Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL specimen signature. I told him I had not but was working on it. Dr. Harrop told me he was in the country for only a week and therefore asked me to be quick about it. He also asked me to identify a big dormant shareholding account in the name of a White in either East African Breweries Limited (EABL) or British American Tobacco (Kenya) Limited (B.A.T.), which he would fraudulently front for. I asked him for a cell phone contact I could reach him by in the event that something came up. Dr. Harrop told me he would call me the following day, Wednesday, 10th March 2004, with his cell phone contact. Dr. Harrop told me he was using a land-line “in his office†during the 11.40 a.m. conversation that he and I had on 9th March 2004. I also gave Brian “my†cell phone number i.e. XXXX XXXXXX.
Immediately after I concluded my 11.40 a.m. conversation with Brian on 9th March 2004, I called Mr. George Otieno of Barclays Africa Security and Investigative Services (BASIS), for directions. Mr. Otieno said that we wait for the following day, Wednesday, 10th March 2004, when the Head of Registrar Services would be back at the office.
On Wednesday morning, 10th March 2004 the Head of Registrar Services did indeed briefly come to the office and called me into his office for an update. I gave him an update and he told me that he had already made arrangements for me to obtain Suresh Jasraj Seth’s specimen signature, for onward delivery by me to Dr. Harrop.The previous day, Tuesday, 9th March 2004, Mr. Otieno had emphasised that I notify him before handing Dr. Harrop Suresh Jasraj Seth’s specimen signature, something that the Head of Registrar Services also reiterated during our discussion on Wednesday morning, 10th March 2004. The Head of Registrar Services also told me to deal only with Mr. Otieno during his absence.
On Wednesday afternoon, 10th March 2004 at about 12.07 p.m., Dr. Harrop called me again, but this time on “my†cell phone number XXXX XXXXXX. He again asked on my progress in obtaining Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL specimen signature. I told him I hoped to obtain the specimen signature on either Wednesday, 10th March 2004 or Thursday, 11th March 2004. He again empahsised that time was of the essence and sounded very anxious on the telephone. He also again brought up the subject of me identifying a big dormant shareholding account in the name of a White in either East African Breweries Limited (EABL) or British American Tobacco (Kenya) Limited (B.A.T.), which he could fraudulently front for. I in turn also sought a cell phone contact from him. He told me that he was calling me from “his office land-lineâ€, and said that we disconnect to enable him call from his cell phone. This we did and Dr. Harrop again called me on “my†cell phone number a few seconds later at 12.11 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, 10th March 2004, from cell phone number 0721 569296. Dr. Harrop told me that cell phone number 0721 569296 was his cell phone number. The cell phone number that I have been reaching Mr. Shah by is 0721 691734
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 8
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
11th March 2004
On Wednesday evening, 10th March 2004, Dr. Harrop called me on “my†cell phone at 5.33 p.m. His tone was much less friendly and more anxious, aggressive and harsh. Dr. Harrop wanted to know my progress in obtaining Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL specimen signature. He told me he was flying to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday evening, 12th March 2004, and needed the specimen signature before then. I told him that I hoped to obtain the specimen signature on either Thurday, 11th March 2004 or Friday, 12th March 2004. Dr. Harrop told me in a harsh tone to give him a definite date and time that I would be able to deliver the specimen signature to him. I told him to give me up to Friday, 12th March 2004.
For the third time in two days, Dr. Harrop brought up the subject of me identifying a big dormant shareholding account in the name of a White in either East African Breweries Limited (EABL) or British American Tobacco (Kenya) Limited (B.A.T.), which he could fraudulently front for. I told him that I had already provided him and Mr. Shah with eight dormant accounts and he should choose an appropriate account in the name of a White, from the eight. Of the possibilities, Dr. Harrop said one was a big and “attractive†shareholding, but was too risky because of the regularly encashed dividends, while the other was of a small holding of roughly 5,000 shares (approximate value of US $ 34,014 as at date of this report), and this according to him was not worth the effort. Dr. Harrop was eager and anxious for me to identify a bigger dormant account in the name of a White in either East African Breweries Limited (EABL) or British American Tobacco (Kenya) Limited (B.A.T.), to be “acted†on concurrently with Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL shares account.
I told Dr. Harrop to first allow me to focus on obtaining the specimen signature of EABL shares account No. XXXXXXXX in the name of Suresh Jasraj Seth, to avoid jeopardising “the entire fraudulent ventureâ€.
We agreed that Dr. Harrop and I would talk on Thursday, 11th March 2004 to review the progress.
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 9
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
12th March 2004
On Thursday evening, 11th March 2004 at 4.49 p.m., Dr. Harrop called me on “my†cell phone to enquire whether I would be able to deliver him Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL specimen signature that evening. I told him that I wasn’t sure, but would call him later on in the evening of 11th March 2004, to give a definite position.
The Shareholder Services Manager, Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited, had arranged for the original transfer deed of Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL shareholding, to be obtained from the Head Office of East African Breweries Limited on Thursday, 11th March 2004. The transfer deed had not reached the office of Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited, by the time Dr. Harrop called me at 4.49 p.m. The Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Clerk sent to collect the initial transfer deed of EABL shareholding to Suresh Jasraj Seth, got to the office at about 5.38 p.m. on Thursday evening, 11th March 2004. It had rained and this had caused a traffic jam on the Thika-Nairobi Highway.
The Shareholder Services Manager and myself held a brief discussion, and agreed that the most appropriate thing was to wait until the following day, Friday, 12th March 2004 before taking any action. I thereafter called Dr. Harrop by way of cell phone at 5.43 p.m. on Thursday evening, 11th March 2004, and told him that I had been able to obtain Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL specimen signature. I further told him that it were best if I delivered the specimen signature to him the following day, Friday, 12th March 2004 owing to the time constraint.
He was not opposed to this, but offered two suggestions. One was that we meet briefly during the day on Friday, 12th March 2004 for me to give him the specimen signature so that he could immediately arrange for a “personal courier†to deliver the “letter†from Suresh Jasraj Seth holder of EABL shares account No. XXXXXXXX, to the office of Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited. This, according to Dr. Harrop, would be appropriate because of the time lapse between the e-mail enquiry indicated in my report of 8th March 2004, and the date of receipt by Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited of a written letter i.e. Friday, 12th March 2004.
The other option according to Dr. Harrop, would be for me to deliver him the specimen signature of EABL shares account No. XXXXXXXX in the name of Suresh Jasraj Seth, on Friday evening, 12th March 2004, at the “usual place, usual time†i.e. The Stanley Hotel first floor lounge at 6.00 p.m. He would then arrange for a letter “from Suresh Jasraj Seth, holder of EABL shares account No. XXXXXXXXâ€, to be delivered to Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited. Dr. Harrop told me that his flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday, 12th March 2004, was scheduled for “late†in the evening and a meeting between him and me at 6.00p.m. on Friday, 12th March 2004, would therefore not inconvenience him. I told Dr. Harrop I would call him on Friday morning, 12th March 2004, to let him know what would be the most appropriate time for he and me to meet.
On Friday morning, 12th March 2004, the Shareholder Services Manager, Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited, handed me a photocopy of the transfer deed of EABL shares account No. XXXXXXXX in the name of Suresh Jasraj Seth, and we both agreed that I call Mr. George Otieno of Barclays Africa Security and Investigative Services (BASIS). This I did by way of land- line at about 9.18 a.m. on Friday morning, 12th March 2004.
Mr. Otieno told me to call Mr. Kisaka of the Central Bank of Kenya Banking Fraud Investigation Unit, to agree on what time was appropriate for me to deliver the specimen signature to Dr. Harrop. Mr. Otieno also told me that he would also call Mr. Kisaka, and if need be, call me back later on in the day on Friday, 12th March 2004. I again called Mr. Otieno at about 9.22 a.m. on Friday morning, 12th March 2004 by way of land-line, and gave Mr. Otieno “my†cell phone number i.e. XXXX XXXXXX.
As directed by Mr. Otieno, I then called Mr. Kisaka of the Central Bank of Kenya Banking Fraud Investigation Unit by way of cell phone at 9.25 a.m. on Friday morning, 12th March 2004. Mr. Kisaka told me to set the meeting between Dr. Harrop and I at 6.00 p.m. on Friday, 12th March 2004.
I then called Dr. Harrop by way of cell phone at 9.29 a.m on Friday, 12th March 2004, and the both of us agreed that we meet at 6.00 p.m. on Friday evening, 12th March 2004, at the first floor lounge of The Stanley Hotel.
Michael Mundia Kamau
Addendum:
In my report of 24th February 2004 I indicated that I had either spoken or met Mr. Pulin Shah and Dr. Brian Peter Harrop on roughly nine occasions between 9th January 2004 and 22nd February 2004. After my meeting with Brian at The Stanley Hotel on 8th January 2004, Mr. Shah called me at Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited on Thursday, 15th January 2004 to establish my progress in identifying dormant accounts. I told him I had not been successful yet, and asked for more time. Mr. Shah was accommodative of this. He said he was in the country briefly and hoped that I would come up with something before his departure back to the United Kingdom.
On Monday, 19th January 2004, Mr. Shah called me again at Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited enquiring on progress. I told that nothing “positive†had as yet come up. Mr. Shah gave me the cell phone number which I could reach him by i.e. 0721 691734. Mr. Shah had told me he was soon departing for the United Kingdom, and I therefore called him on his cell phone on Tuesday, 20th January 2004, by way of the office extension number 4112 that has been enabled to make calls to cell phones between 8.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. on weekdays. I asked Mr. Shah for time and told him I would contact him on the United Kingdom cell phone number 000447799484014 that he gave me on 15th December 2003, if anything came up. Mr. Shah had also given me his e-mail address on 15th December 2003 i.e. shahpulin@yahoo.co.uk . Mr. Shah did not hide his disappointment at the “slow progressâ€. Sometime thereafter, I tried calling the United Kingdom cell phone number 000447799484014 given to me by Mr. Shah using the office fax machine, and got the response, “the Vodafone number you have called has been switched offâ€.
On Thursday, 22nd January 2004, Dr. Harrop called me at the office and “did not mince his wordsâ€. Dr. Harrop told me that there were high stakes involved and if I was not able to fulfill the role already given to me, then it were better that the whole “venture†were called off at this early stage. He told me he was on transit to South Africa, where he was going to wind up the affairs of an Estate he was administering. He had hoped to show me forged South African Probate documents that very day, Thursday, 22nd January 2004, for me to assess whether they would be able to pass undetected at Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited, but postponed this, I gather, because he was disappointed with my slow progress. He emphasised that time was not on “our†side. Dr. Harrop told me he would be back in the country in the week starting 8th February 2004, at which point it would either be “make or break†regarding our “ventureâ€.
On Tuesday, 10th February 2004, Dr. Harrop called me. He said he was in the country and asked about progress. I told him I had “come†up with something. This delighted him and we both agreed to meet on Thursday evening, 12th February 2004 at 6.00 p.m. at the first floor lounge of The Stanley Hotel.
Dr. Harrop and I met at approximately 6.30 p.m. on Thursday evening, 12th February 2004 at the first floor lounge of The Stanley Hotel. It was I who was late for the meeting. I gave Dr. Harrop general descriptions of the dormant accounts “I†had identified but did not disclose specific details about them. This did not bother Dr. Harrop. His mood was casual, relaxed, friendly and less tense than it was when we spoke on 22nd January 2004. We then discussed the modalities and logistics of executing the “job†with minimum hitches. Dr. Harrop suggested that an identified shareholder with a dormant shareholding, could make an enquiry through e-mail. Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited would respond by saying that we did not act on e-mail and ask the enquiring shareholder to write a formal written letter. I would then use this opportunity to obtain the specimen signature from the Head Office of East African Breweries Limited in “anticipation of an almost certain enquiry coming by way of postâ€. I would then smuggle the specimen signature out of the office to either him or Mr. Shah for their use in all matters related to the identified dormant account/s. The other option would be for “them†to write a letter signed off in a way that one could not determine whether the “shareholder†had signed the letter or just written his or her name, something reasonably common with “Asians and Whitesâ€, as Dr. Harrop put it. I would then use my methods to obtain a specimen signature from the Head Office of East African Breweries Limited, and smuggle both the doctored letter and specimen signature to him or Mr. Shah.
We both felt that the e-mail option was the safer and less riskier method, and adopted it. Dr. Harrop told me that “we†first work on encashing all unpaid dividends of an identified dormant account through “due processâ€, and that I would “quickly get my cut on unpaid dividendsâ€. Dr. Harrop however told me that it would take slightly longer for me to get my “cut†from the fraudulent sale of a dormant shareholding, because of the lengthy sale processes. Dr. Harrop then told me to obtain the postal addresses, sizes of the shareholdings and history of all unpaid dividends, of suitable dormant accounts I had identified, which I would pass on to Mr. Shah, who was due in the country a week from 12th February 2004. Dr. Harrop told me he would be leaving the country for the United Kingdom on the weekend of 14th/15th February 2004. Dr. Harrop was very pleased with the progress made so far.
Pulin Shah called me in the office on Wednesday, 18th February 2004 and we both agreed to meet at the Thorn Tree restaurant of The Stanley Hotel at 6.00 p.m. on Thursday evening, 19th February 2004. However Mr. Shah called me in the office around midday on 19th February 2004 to cancel our scheduled meeting of Thursday evening, 19th February 2004, “because something had come upâ€. Mr. Shah also told me he would be unavailable on Friday, 20th February 2004 because of other commitments, and proposed that we meet on Monday evening, 23rd February 2004. I agreed to this.
I had met Mr. George Otieno of Barclays Africa Security and Investigative Services (BASIS), and Mr. Kisaka of the Central Bank of Kenya Banking Fraud Investigation Unit on Thursday morning, 19th February 2004 and Mr. Kisaka said he would be at the Thorn Tree restaurant of The Stanley Hotel prior to 6.00 p.m. on Thursday evening, 19th February 2004. Mr Kisaka gave me his cell phone number at the said meeting of Thursday morning, 19th February 2004.
When Mr. Shah called me to cancel our scheduled meeting of Thursday evening, 19th February 2004, I in turn called Mr. Kisaka on his cell phone to notify him of the cancellation. This I did by way of the office extension number 4112 that has been enabled to make calls to cell phones between 8.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. on weekdays.
The events of Monday, 23rd February 2004 are contained in my report of Tuesday, 24th February 2004.
Michael Mundia Kamau,
Friday, 12th March 2004
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 10
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
15th March 2004
I met Dr. Harrop at approximately 6.06 p.m. on Friday evening, 12th March 2004 at the first floor lounge of The Stanley Hotel. We engaged in informal discussions for about 10 minutes, before Dr. Harrop showed me copies of both the e-mail he had sent to Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited and the response (see report of 8th March 2004). He also showed me three copies of a formal letter “written by Suresh Jasraj Seth, holder of EABL shares account No. XXXXXXXXâ€. All three letters were not signed. After further brief discussions, I handed Dr. Harrop a photocopy of the transfer deed bearing the specimen signature of Suresh Jasraj Seth, holder of EABL shares account No. XXXXXXXX. Dr. Harrop was clearly excited.
Dr. Harrop told me that he would deliver Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL specimen signature that very evening to the “expert forger†he mentioned to me on 8th January 2004, for him to insert the forged signature of Suresh Jasraj Seth, on the letters he had just shown me. Dr. Harrop appeared to have a high opinion of the unnamed “expert forger†describing him as “intelligent, well educated and professionalâ€, as opposed to an alternative individual he only described as “a Ugandanâ€. It was unclear whether the unnamed “Ugandan†was in any way connected to “our†planned fraudulent transaction of Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL shareholding. Dr. Harrop also told me that the “expert forger†did not know me personally, as was the impression given to me by Dr. Harrop on 8th January 2004, but only gave me as a reference to Mr. Shah and Dr. Harrop. The impression Dr. Harrop gave me on Friday evening, 12th March 2004, was that a third party or third parties, gave my name as a reference to “the expert forgerâ€, who in turn gave it to Mr. Shah and Dr. Harrop.
Dr. Harrop also told me that “the expert forger†had said that he was capable of forging share certificates, which Dr. Harrop felt we could also use for fraudulent scams. The idea in such a case would be for me to provide a sample of a share certificate for use by the “expert forgerâ€. Thereafter, I would smuggle details of selected shareholder details out of Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited, for insertion onto forged share certificates. EABL shares account number XXXXXXXX in the name of Timothy Stuart Hurst with a shareholding of 70,291 shares (see report of 27th February 2004), could be the first target of the share certificate forgery scam proposed by the “expert forgerâ€. It would be made to appear that Timothy Stuart Hurst, holder of EABL shares account No. XXXXXXXX had decided to “sell†a part of his shareholding of 15,000 shares, to avoid raising suspicions.
Dr. Harrop told me that he was not a “crookâ€, and had only been forced into fraudulent activities by the effects of the global economic slump brought about by the activities of the Al-Qaeda network. According to him, the earnings from his brokerage practice had dropped significantly in the period after the attacks of September 11th 2001 on the World Trade Centre. According to Dr. Harrop, the earnings he made from commissions ranged from 10,000 Sterling Pounds per year, to 60,000 Sterling Pounds per year.
Dr. Harrop told me he has all along been expecting me to drop a bombshell on EABL shares account number XXXXXXXX, in the name of Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney (see report of 9th January 2004), and was surprised that no query regarding non-receipt of dividend had as yet been raised by the shareholder i.e. Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney.
Dr. Harrop put this down to realisation on the part of the shareholder that this may have been brought about by the shareholder’s change of postal address. Dr. Harrop appeared to have more information than was apparent on the saga surrounding EABL shares account number XXXXXXXX, in the name of Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney. For instance, Dr. Harrop was aware that Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney had a brother called Michael Christopher Watney of 24 Beulah Road, Turnbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2NR, United Kingdom, holder of EABL shares account number XXXXXXXX, with a shareholding of 77,610 shares. Dr. Harrop told be that the late mother of Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney and Michael Christopher Watney, who Dr. Harrop described as “an old Kenyan white colonialâ€, had bequeathed her EABL shareholding to her two sons, Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney and Michael Christopher Watney, in equal amounts of 77,610 shares each. Dr. Harrop seemed to be aware that Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney and Michael Christopher Watney were not on talking terms, which may also have been the reason that Nicholas Colin Olivier Watney was unaware of the sale of his shares. This encouraged Dr. Harrop as it indicated that his sources “were not so bad after allâ€.
For the fourth time, Dr. Harrop asked me to identify a dormant shareholding account in the name of a White, either in East African Breweries Limited or B.A.T. (Kenya) Limited, which he, Dr. Harrop, could fraudulently front for. It was Dr. Harrop’s wish that I do this in time for the identified dormant shareholding account in the name of a White, to be fraudulently transacted on at the same time as EABL shares account No. XXXXXXXX, in the name of Suresh Jasraj Seth. Dr. Harrop showed me a sketch of his Diary which indicated that he was flying out of Kenya on the evening of Friday, 12th March 2004, and would be back in Kenya in the week starting 22nd March 2004. He told me that Mr. Shah was currently in the United States of America, but would also be in Kenya in the week starting 22nd March 2004. Dr. Harrop and Mr. Shah would therefore both be in Kenya in the week starting 22nd March 2004. Dr. Harrop told me that both he and Mr. Shah would use the week starting 22nd March 2004 to prepare forgeries of documents that may be required. Hopefully, Dr. Harrop told me, I would get my first “pay off†in the first week of April 2004.
Dr. Harrop told me that he would arrange for Suresh Jasraj Seth’s “formal letter†that he showed me, to be delivered to Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services on Monday, 15th March 2004. We broke off at 7.36 p.m. on Friday evening, 12th March 2004, with Dr. Harrop rushing to meet the “expert forgerâ€.
At 9.09 p.m. on Friday evening, 12th March 2004, I called Mr. Kisaka of the Central Bank of Kenya Banking Fraud Investigation Unit by way of cell phone, to enquire whether he had observed Dr. Harrop’s meeting with me earlier on in the evening of Friday, 12th March 2004, and Mr. Kisaka confirmed that he had.
On Monday morning, 15th March 2004, I gave the Head of Registrar Services a verbal report of the above. At 1.08 p.m. on Monday, 15th March 2004, Mr. Kisaka called me by way of cell phone for an update. The call got cut off in between and so I called Mr. Kisaka by way of cell phone at 1.09 p.m. on Monday, 15th March 2004. Mr. Kisaka told me that he had consulted with his superiors at the Central Bank of Kenya Banking Fraud Investigation Unit and would arrange for a meeting between himself, myself and Mr. George Otieno of Barclays Africa Security and Investigative Services (BASIS), to chart the way forward.
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 11
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
24th March 2004
On the 23rd of March 2004 at 9.49 a.m. Dr. Harrop sent me an SMS from his Safaricom number 0721 569296 asking whether Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services had sent a response to the letter “by†Suresh Jasraj Seth he had shown me on 12th March 2004. The exact wording of the SMS was “Hope letter went off OK? Any idea when?â€
I replied by the same SMS medium from “my†Safaricom number XXXX XXXXXX telling him that Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited had responded to “Suresh’s†letter and the response should be arriving in the United Kingdom in the week starting 21st March 2004.
At 9.57 a.m. on 23rd March 2004, Dr. Harrop sent another SMS of gratitude whose exacting wording was “Good. Pulin is coming thurs pmâ€. I took this to mean that that Pulin Shah was coming into Kenya on Thursday, 25th March 2004, tentatively, with “Suresh Jasraj Seth’s†response.
At 7.40 p.m. on 23rd March 2004, Dr. Harrop sent me a third SMS whose exact wording was “Can we meet wed or thurs 6 pm usual place? I have something to show you. Brianâ€.
Instead of replying by SMS, I chose to call Dr. Harrop on his Safaricom number 0721 569296 from “my†Safaricom number XXXX XXXXXX. Dr. Harrop told me there was a forged share certificate he wanted me to have a look at, as had been mentioned to me by him during the meeting he and I had on 12th March 2004. Dr. Harrop also told me that Mr. Shah would be coming into Kenya on Thursday, 25th March 2004, as had been suggested in Dr. Harrop’s SMS of 9.57 a.m., Tuesday, 23rd March 2004.
I told Dr. Harrop I would meet him at 6.00 p.m. on Thursday, 25th March 2004 at the first floor lounge of The Stanley Hotel.
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 12
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
26th March 2004
I was due to meet Dr. Harrop on Thursday evening, 25th March 2004 at the first floor lounge of The Stanley Hotel. Prior to this the Head of Registrar Services telephoned George Otieno of Barclays Africa Security and Investigative Services (BASIS), in my presence, for guidance. This was about 4.45 p.m., Thursday, 25th March 2004. After the telephone conversation The Head of Registar Services gave me Mr. George Otieno’s cell phone number i.e. XXXX XXXXXX for me to contact Mr. Otieno prior to my meeting Dr. Harrop at 6.00 p.m. on 25th March 2004.
I called Mr. Otieno on his cell phone from “my†cell phone at 5.30 p.m. on Thursday evening, 25th March 2004, and Mr. Otieno told me to “flash†him just before going to meet Dr. Harrop at 6.00 p.m.
I again called Mr. Otieno at 6.08 p.m. on Thursday, 25th March 2004, to notify Mr. Otieno that I was on my way to meet Dr. Harrop.
I meet Dr. Harrop at 6.10 p.m. on Thursday evening, 25th March 2004 at the first floor lounge of The Stanley Hotel. Very limited time was spent on small talk. Dr. Harrop told me that the response to “Suresh Jasraj Seth’s†letter from Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited had not as yet been received by Mr. Shah in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, Mr. Shah would still be flying into Kenya on a flight scheduled to arrive just before midnight on Thursday, 25th March 2004. Dr. Harrop told me that Mr. Shah would be in the country for three weeks. Dr. Harrop told me that he was due in the United Kingdom on Monday, 29th March 2004 and hoped to find that the response from Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited had already arrived. He would then send “Suresh Jasraj Seth’s†subsequent response to Mr. Shah in Kenya by DHL.
Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited would then prepare a consolidated replacement dividend cheque in Kenya shillings in favour of Suresh Jasraj Seth and post it to the United Kingdom. Mr. Shah would use his three week stay in Kenya to arrange for the processing of forged documentation and the opening of a Bank account in the name of Suresh Jasraj Seth. Dr. Harrop hoped that “we†would all be able to get our payoffs with regard to Suresh Jasraj Seth’s unclaimed dividends, in the first week of May 2004.
Dr. Harrop was eager to conclude both transactions together i.e. the fraudulent processing of Suresh Jasraj Seth’s unclaimed dividends and the fraudulent sale of Suresh Jasraj Seth’s shareholding. Dr. Harrop therefore asked me to discreetly facilitate the posting of Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL share certificate No. XXXXXXXX for 15,940 shares, which was very likely lying in “Return to Sender†filing. If this wasn’t possible, then Dr. Harrop would draft an appropriate response “from†Suresh Jasraj Seth indicating that he was not in possession of his share certificate.
Dr. Harrop then showed me a blank sample of an East African Breweries Limited share certificate which he told me had been generated by the “expert forger†(see report of 15th March 2004). The forged share certificate lacked certain security features such as the watermark, but would otherwise pass as a genuine share certificate to the naked eye.
Dr. Harrop told me that if I was able to deliver Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL share certificate No. XXXXXXXX for 15,940 shares to “themâ€, then “we†would effectively be able to kill two birds with one stone i.e. quickly and fraudulently sell Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL share certificate No. XXXXXXXX for 15,940 shares and use the features on Suresh Jasraj Seth’s EABL share certificate No. XXXXXXXX to improve on the forged sample that he had shown me.
Something about what Dr. Harrop was telling me wasn’t falling in place however. To start with, the “expert forger†could use the source of the forged blank EABL share certificate to improve on the security features, and secondly, I recalled Mr. Shah showing me an EABL share certificate during our very first encounter in early November 2003 at the office of Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited. I didn’t mention this to Dr. Harrop though.
Dr. Harrop told me that he had a pressing debt of US $ 14,084 and another less pressing need for US $ 21,116. There was therefore need for urgency.
During the meeting that Dr. Harrop and I had on Thursday evening, 25th March 2004, George Otieno of Barclays Africa Security and Investigative Services (BASIS), called me on “my†cell phone at 7.51 p.m. to ask whether Dr. Harrop and me were still together at the first floor lounge of The Stanley Hotel. I told him we were and that I would call him after 20 minutes.
Dr. Harrop and I ended our meeting at about 8.31 p.m. on Thursday evening, 25th March 2004 and walked out together towards the Hilton Hotel where he told me he puts up while in the country. Dr. Harrop told me that Mr. Shah would get in touch with me and we parted ways at 8.37 p.m.
George Otieno of Barclays Africa Security and Investigative Services (BASIS), “flashed†me at 8.52 p.m. on Thursday, 25th March 2004 while I was on a public minibus on my way home. I sent Mr. Otieno an SMS telling him I would call him when I got home.
I called Mr. Otieno on his cell phone from “my†cell phone at 9.38 p.m. on Thursday evening, 25th March 2004. Mr. Otieno said there was a pressing need to conclude the matter. This came out in our cell phone discussion that lasted about five minutes. Mr. Otieno and I agreed that I would go meet Mr. Otieno at his office on Friday morning, 26th March 2004.
Michael Mundia Kamau
THE NICHOLAS COLIN OLIVIER WATNEY FRAUD CASE : REPORT NO. 13
Michael Mundia Kamau
C/O Barclays Advisory and
Registrar Services Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
8th April 2004
On the 26th of March 2004 at approximately 11.15 a.m., I called Mr. George Otieno on his cell phone from “my” cell phone, and told him that I was on my way to see him. I met Mr. Otieno at his Market Branch office at approximately 11.25 a.m. on Friday, 26th March 2004. We discussed the events of the previous evening’s meeting between Dr. Harrop and myself and strategised on how to conclude the matter. It was a brief meeting that lasted about ten minutes. Mr. Otieno also mentioned that a discreet way had to be devised to remove me from the operation and allow for the “fraudsters” to be apprehended. Mr. Otieno told me that he would be in touch with me.
On Wednesday morning, 7th April 2004 at about 5.30 a.m. in the morning I encountered two individuals who robbed me of US $ 30 and the cell phone that Mr. Shah gave me on 15th December 2003. I live in Komarock and was on my way to Kayole via Komarock phase III to catch early morning transport. It is a route that I have often used at that hour and therefore felt secure about it’s safety. It appears that the individuals who accosted me had observed this about me over a period of time. I however convinced the two individuals to give me back my wallet which contained my National Identity Card, my voters card, my staff ID, my ATM card and other personal items.
I reported the robbery incident to the Head of Registrar Services and the Shareholder Services Manager, at about 7.55 a.m. on Wednesday morning, 7th April 2004. I then asked for time off to go and report the loss of “my” cell phone to the police and to Safaricom Limited. I obtained a police abstract from the Nairobi Central Police Station. I then went with the police abstract to the I & M Towers Retail Store of Safaricom Limited to report the loss of “my” cell phone. It was at the I & M Towers Retail Store of Safaricom Limited that I obtained Safaricom cell phone No. XXXX XXXXXX on Friday, 20th February 2004. I was asked to complete a form that is referred to by Safaricom Limited as “Application to Block Mobile Handset”. This plus a fee of US $ 4, would enable Safaricom Limited to simultaneously deactivate Safaricom cell phone No. XXXX XXXXXX and activate it once again with the issuance to me of a new SIM card for the same Safaricom cell phone No. XXXX XXXXXX. I complied with their requirements and simultaneously completed Safaricom Limited “Application to Block Mobile Handset” form serial No. 008711 of 7th April 2004, and paid Safaricom Limited’s processing fee of US $ 4. I was then issued with a new SIM card bearing the same Safaricom cell phone No. XXXX XXXXXX.
I also purchased a Nokia 3310 cell phone serial No. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX similar to the one Mr. Shah gave me on 15th December 2003 from the same I & M Towers Retail Store of Safaricom Limited at a cost of US $ 103, and was issued with a Sales Receipt bearing the following details : Work Order #: 24144, Transaction #: 159598, Account #: 000059976958, Date: 4/7/04, Time: 9:17:33 AM, Cashier: 511, Register#: 2, Rep 550 and Item Lookup Code S0450005.
I called the land line Market Branch office number of Mr. George Otieno from Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited land line extension No. 4125 at 12.10 p.m. on Wednesday, 7th April 2004 to notify Mr. Otieno of the theft of the cell phone given to me by Mr. Shah on 15th December 2003. I spoke to Mr. Kivuva, who told me that Mr. Otieno was in Tanzania, and was due back in Kenya on either 7th April 2004 or 8th April 2004. I
Michael Mundia Kamau
P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya
Thursday, 23rd March 2006
I introduce myself as a former employee of Barclays Bank of Kenya, who has just been dismissed from employment on scandalous and corrupt grounds. I was dismissed from service on Tuesday, 21st February 2006.
A prelude of the scandalous episode accompanies this e-mail, by way of letters by me dated 21st February 2006, 20th February 2006, 14th February 2006, 13th February 2006, 26th January 2006, 5th January 2006 and 28th December 2005.
You will note a deliberate and manipulative attempt to conceal corrupt, underhand and shadowy dealings at the Kenya office of Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services, a subsidiary of Barclays PLC of the United Kingdom and ABSA Africa of South Africa.
All efforts over the years to raise concerns with the management of Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited, Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited and Barclays Bank PLC of the United Kingdom, have gone unheeded, and ultimately resulted in my dismissal on 21st February 2006.
I trust that you will first want to study the advance material below, before deciding on how to proceed.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Mundia Kamau
Encls.
— Mundia Kamau wrote:
Michael Mundia Kamau
P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya
21st February 2006
Joseph Muremwa
Head of IT and Operations
Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited
Moi Avenue, Bank House, 7th floor
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
Kenya
Dear Sir
RE: PRIVATE SECTOR ANGLO LEASING TYPE SCANDAL AT
BARCLAYS KENYA
This morning, Tuesday, 21st February 2006, Mr. Mark Momanyi handed me my dismissal letter at 8.40 a.m., for my role in the Jones Mutua Mule matter. You were not even brave or courageous enough to discharge this crucial function, and cowardly delegated it to Mr. Momanyi.
I have been hurriedly dismissed before crucial questions to my letters below of 20th February 2006, 14th February 2006, 13th February 2006, 26th January 2006, 5th January 2006 and 28th December 2005, have been answered.
I took an early opportunity to expose this and other troubling related matters to the Barclays and ABSA Offices in the United Kingdom and South Africa, the Central Staff Committee of Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited, the Banking, Insurance and Finance Union (BIFU), the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU), the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Justice, the Kenya Anti- Corruption Commission (KACC), the Central Bank of Kenya, the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE), the Parliamentary Committees on Finance, Labour and Justice, severally, the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA), the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) and the Kenya Human Rights Commission, yet none of these organisations has bothered respond, intervene or get involved.
This is very troubling because almost all of the aforementioned organizations have copies of my letters below of 20th February 2006, 14th February 2006, 13th February 2006, 26th January 2006, 5th January 2006 and 28th December 2005, and more, but no action has been taken.
My conclusion is that there is a grand conspiracy to conceal one of the most shameful private sector financial and securities scandals in the history of this country, comparable only to the disgraceful Anglo Leasing and Goldenburg scandals of the public sector.
With specific reference to the Jones Mutua Mule matter, my dismissal has been effected before a host of questions have been answered, and in particular, the five crucial ones below:
(i) Why am I the only officer who has been
purportedly investigated and dismissed with
regard to the Jones Mutua Mule matter, yet the
Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited
shareholding was immobilised for sale by
myself, and the Standard Chartered Bank
Kenya Limited shareholding was immobilised for
sale by a different officer at Barclays
Advisory and Registrar Services Limited? I
asked this question in my letter below of 13th
February 2006, which please see, and have still
not received a response.
(ii) Why am I the only member of staff who has been
under investigation in the above matter of
Jones Mutua Mule, and ultimately been
dismissed, when the documents were handled by
at least five other members of staff at
Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services
Limited? I asked this question in my letter
below of 14th February 2006, which please see,
and have still not received a response.
(iii) Are investigations into the thirteen other fraud
cases mentioned in my letter below of 28th
December 2005, which I am made to understand
have grown to sixteen during the period of my
suspension, being handled with the same comical
pace of urgency as the Jones Mutua Mule case? I
asked this question in my letter below of 14th
February 2006, which please see, and have still
not received a response.
Related to this, I again specifically draw you attention to Page 17 of the “The Standard†of Thursday, 9th February 2006, which carries the story of one of the mentioned frauds that have been established during the period of my suspension and dismissal. The fraud is for East African Breweries Limited shares worth US $ 994,754 and the story is
carried under the heading “KRA boss summonedâ€. (iv) Several members of staff at Barclays Advisory
and Registrar Services Limited have
recorded statements with the Banking Fraud and
Investigation Unit of the Central Bank of Kenya
(CBK), regarding their roles in the numerous
frauds that have lately been unearthed at
Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services
Limited. I have not been made to record a single
statement regarding the Jones Mutua Mule matter
with the Banking Fraud and Investigation Unit of
the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), clearly because
the matter is not regarded as criminal, yet I
have been on a 60 day suspension on half pay,
purportedly in line with “clause A5 C) i) of the
Collective Agreement covering Section Heads,
Check Clerks, Clerical and subordinate staffâ€
which is invoked in matters considered of a
criminal nature, and neither have I not been
charged or appeared in a Court of Law on a
criminal charge. I have nevertheless been
dismissed and no refund of my deducted salaries
has been made to me
(v) Despite earlier blowing the whistle seven and a
half years ago by way of my reports of 9th July
1998 and 30th July 1998, and thereafter in the
years 1999, 2000 and recently but not finally,
in the year 2004 by way of my 19 extensive
reports on the infamous and shameful Nicholas
Colin Olivier Watney fraud case, no corrective
action has ever been taken at Barclays Advisory
and Registrar Services Limited. My dismissal
must come as a relief because I am now finally
out of the way.
My only regret is that I did not expose these horrifying, scandalous and criminal affairs to the public earlier, no doubt, because I feared losing my job. This is a burden of indecisiveness and betrayal to society that I will always have to bear.
I will not insult myself by appealing your decision to dismiss me empty handed after nine and a half years of dedicated service. I will also not give credence and legitimacy to the criminal activities of the Barclays and ABSA Group worldwide by lodging an internal appeal against my dismissal. I will fight for and seek redress externally in my capacity as a citizen of the Republic of Kenya, however long it takes. If my time on this Earth expires before the fight is concluded, then I will ensure that the fight is carried on by those I leave behind.
The coming weeks will be difficult for me, but I will nevertheless systematically reveal the Dens of Vice, Deceipt, Corruption, Thuggery, Contempt, Robbery, Hypocrisy and Theft that the Barclays/ABSA Groups worldwide, actually are. In the coming weeks, I will systematically reveal how the Barclays/ABSA Groups worldwide, in conjunction with a larger and wider network, attempted to criminally and shamefully conceal a Kenyan private sector Anglo Leasing type scam.
Should I be harmed or killed, I have ensured that Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited and the Barclays/ABSA Groups worldwide, are held responsible.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Mundia Kamau
Encls.
— Mundia Kamau wrote:
Michael Mundia Kamau
P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya
20th February 2006
Margaret Atandi
HR Administrator, ER
Human Resources Division
Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
Kenya
Dear Madam
RE: UNABATED CRIMES AT BARCLAYS KENYA
I refer to my letters below of 14th February 2006,
13th February 2006, 26th January 2006, 5th January
2006 and 28th December 2005, and regret that I have
not as yet received responses.
This horrendous, shameful and monumental scandal has
already caused me more than enough grief, anguish,
anxiety, torment, agony and inconvenience, and would
wish to be given the final decision.
My illegal extended 60 day suspension on half pay, is
due to expire on Saturday, 25th February 2006, and
will therefore assume that I will get a response on
Monday, 27th February 2006 at 8.05 a.m., because no
one whosoever is bothering to communicate with me. I
further add that I do not wish to be unnecessarily
kept waiting for one hour and 48 minutes, as was the
case on 26th January 2006, and would therefore wish to
be directed on where to go on Monday, 27th February
2006, and at what time.
The cowardice and incompetence of the entire
management of Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited and
Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited,
deeply amazes me.
Yours faithfully
Michael Mundia Kamau
Encls.
— Mundia Kamau wrote:
Michael Mundia Kamau
P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya
14th February 2006
Margaret Atandi
HR Administrator, ER
Human Resources Division
Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
Kenya
Dear Madam
RE: CORPORATE FRAUD COVER UP AT BARCLAYS KENYA
Further to your frantic, desperate and rude phone call
to me on my cell phone on Monday, 13th February 2006
at 09:25 Hrs. GMT, I respond as follows:
I submitted corrections of minutes of Disciplinary
Hearing of 3rd February 2006, at your Barclays Plaza,
Mezzanine 6 Office at 04:49 Hrs. GMT on Monday
morning, 13th February 2006. There was no response
whatsoever from you between 04:49 Hrs. GMT and 08.11
Hrs. GMT, a period of 3 hours and 22 minutes. At the
said 08.11 Hrs. GMT, I sent you my e-mail below of
Monday, 13th February 2006. No sooner had I sent you
and others my said e-mail below of 13th February 2006,
you as mentioned above, made a frantic call to me on
my cell phone at 09:25 Hrs. GMT. You told me that all
25 corrections of Disciplinary Hearing of 3rd February
2006 had been made, and I was needed with immediate
effect at Barclays Plaza, Mezzanine 6, to sign them
off.
It therefore means that it took only one hour and 14
minutes to verify and validate all 25 corrections, and
ensure that I was not trying to doctor the minutes,
because 25 corrections to a brief document like that
is big. Secondly, it took only one hour and 14 minutes
to get in touch with all the panelists of the
Disciplinary Hearing of 3rd February 2006, to enable
them confirm that the 25 corrections were a true
reflection. Finally, it took only one hour and 14
minutes to do a cross check with the investigating
officers to ensure consistency in my statements and
submissions.
I am further forced to compare the above with
investigations into the purported Nicholas Colin
Olivier Watney fraud case investigation, which were
concluded as below:
1. Disciplinary Hearing conducted on 2nd December 2004
2. Was sent minutes of Disciplinary Hearing, one week
later on 9th December 2004
3. Submitted corrections of minutes of Disciplinary
Hearing on 13th December 2004
4. Was sent the corrected draft of minutes of
Disciplinary Hearing of 2nd December 2004 on 2nd
February 2005, after one month and 20 days, and not
after one hour and 14 minutes
5. Signed and submitted corrected draft of minutes of
Disciplinary Hearing of 2nd December 2004 on 4th
February 2005.
6. Received verdict of purported investigation on 5th
April 2005, after 2 months.
This is the 5th time I am being forced to guide you on
how to properly, correctly and legally do your job.
Despite the fact that corrections of minutes of
Disciplinary Hearing of 3rd February 2006 were
regularised in a record one hour and 14 minutes on
Monday, 13th February 2006, you did not so much as
bother to respond to my four letters below of 13th
February 2006, 26th January 2006, 5th January 2006 and
28th December 2005, which not only point out
violations against the so called Barclays guidelines,
but even more disturbingly, criminal violations of the
Laws of the Republic of Kenya.
Amongst several other things your Office has totally
refused to respond to the following queries:
(i) Why am I the only member of staff under
investigation in the matter of the Jones Mutua
Mule, when the documents were handled by at
least five other members of staff at Barclays
Advisory and Registrar Services Limited?
(ii) Are investigations into the thirteen other fraud
cases mentioned in my letter below of 28th
December 2005, which I am made to understand
have grown to sixteen during the period of my
suspension, being handled with the same comical
pace of urgency as the Jones Mutua Mule case?
I specifically draw you attention to Page 17 of the
“The Standard†of Thursday, 9th February 2006, which
carries the story of one of the mentioned frauds that
have been established during the period I have been on
suspension. The fraud is for East African Breweries
Limited shares worth US $ 994,754 and the story is
carried under the heading “KRA boss summonedâ€. It
further pains me to think that I submitted reports on
9th July 1998 and 30th July 1998 that cautioned
against the strong possibility of such occurrences,
but they both ignored contemptuously.
I have cooperated with your purported investigations
to the extent that is permissible.
I will not sign the purportedly rectified and
corrected draft of Disciplinary Hearing of 3rd
February 2006, because doing so will give credence and
legitimacy to a flawed and criminal process, that has
violated both good practice and the Laws of the
Republic of Kenya.
You are at liberty to take whatever action you choose,
including dismissing me.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Mundia Kamau
Encls.
— Mundia Kamau wrote:
Michael Mundia Kamau
P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya
13th February 2006
Margaret Atandi
HR Administrator, ER
Human Resources Division
Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited
P.O. Box 30120
00100 GPO
Nairobi
Kenya
Dear Madam
I have this morning, Monday, 13th February 2006,
submitted corrections of minutes of Disciplinary
Hearing of 3rd February 2006, at your Barclays Plaza,
M6 office. There are 25 corrections in total.
I am however particularly concerned that the figure of
possible loss is indicated as US $ 7,244, when infact my role is limited to
immobilisation of only the Barclays Bank of Kenya
Limited shareholding. The Standard Chartered Bank of
Kenya Limited shareholding was verified for
immobilisation by a different officer at Barclays
Advisory and Registrar Services Limited, and not
myself. I find it strange that your so called thorough
investigations have not established this basic fact
despite my 60 day suspension on half pay. This
confirms my earlier assertion of victimisation and
persecution.
This is the 4th time that I am being made to point out
outrageously petulant, juvenile, elementary and
comical omissions and violations. These omissions and
violations are deliberate and geared towards my speedy
dismissal, because neither your Office nor anyone
else, has bothered to respond. You people want me so
badly that you are prepared to go to any lengths. You
will have your day.
I further regret that Mr. Charles Kiarie was part of
the panel on 3rd February 2006, yet the 30th Januray
2006 notification had clearly stated that the panel
would consist of Mr. Elly Odhong and Mr. Paul Russo.
When I enquired from Mr. Paul Russo and Mr. Elly
Odhong about this, they both brushed it aside by
stating, “Ahhh! It’s OKâ€. Had I come with my lawyer to
the Disciplinary Hearing, which I would have loved to,
would he have been admitted on the strength of an
assertion of “Ahhh! It’s OK�
Finally, I regret that I have not received responses
from either Mr. Abdi Mohamed or Ms. Caroline
Armstrong, to my letters below of 26th January 2006,
5th January 2006 and 28th December 2005.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Mundia Kamau
Encls.
— Mundia Kamau wrote:
Michael Mundia Kamau
P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
26th January 2006
Caroline Armstrong
Ag. Head of Operations
Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited
Operations & IT – Kenya
Bank House 7th floor
P.O. Box 30120
00100 Nairobi
Dear Madam
RE: SUSPENSION EXTENSION
I refer to your letter dated 26th January 2006, in
which you notify me that my suspension from duty has
been extended by a further 30 days, effective 26th
January 2006. Your said letter partly states that
“clause A5 (C) (i) of the Collective Bargaining
Agreement, supercedes the Barclays Guidelinesâ€.
This no doubt is in response to my letter below of
28th December 2005, and attempts to explain and
justify the reason I received half-pay in January
2006, and probably why I will receive half-pay in
February 2006.
I draw your attention to the last time that I was
forcibly and unjustifiably sent on suspension i.e.
29th November 2004 to 4th April 2005, a period of 4
months and 6 days, a period which in itself violates
the terms of clause A5 (C) (i) of the Collective
Bargaining Agreement, and ask why it is that I
received full pay on that occasion in line with
Barclays Guidelines, and why it is that I am now being
made to receive half-pay, purportedly in line with
clause A5 (C) (i) of the Collective Bargaining
Agreement.
I further state that you and your colleagues are
making no effort to conceal your intended manipulation
of the entire matter. I arrived at 8.05 a.m. on 26th
January 2006 as required, and was kept waiting
unnecessarily until 9.53 a.m., a period of one hour 48
minutes as frantic and desperate consultations and
phone calls were made. No effort was made to update me
on progress with the purported investigation, if any,
and why a further 30 day extension had been deemed
necessary. These are clearly tactics to buy time. Mr.
Albert Majiwa was not even sure whether i was meant to
report on 26th January 2006 or 27th January 2006.
Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited was
even less informed, which clearly indicates that i am
forcibly being kept away from work for reasons other
than a puported investigation. I was then hurriedly
issued with another suspension letter, which only
partly conformed with requirements of the same, and
which must certainly have been prompted by my strong
objections below of 28th December 2005, regarding
issuance of my first sham suspension letter of 27th
December 2005
Your early response to these and other glaring and
unanswered discrepancies below, will highly be
appreciated.
Yours faithfully
Michael Mundia Kamau
— Mundia Kamau wrote:
Michael Mundia Kamau P.O Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya
5th January 2006
Abdi Mohamed
Head of Operations
Dear Mr. Mohamed
I refer to my communication below of 28th December
2005, and regret your refusal to respond.
Yours sincerely
Michael Mundia Kamau
> — Mundia Kamau wrote:
Michael Mundia Kamau P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya
28th December 2005
Abdi Mohamed
Head of Operations
Dear Mr. Mohamed
RE: IRREGULAR SUSPENSION
Further to your irregular and improper suspension
letter of 27th December 2005, I will be grateful to
obtain clarification on the following two matters:
The first sentence of the second last paragraph states
that “During the period of suspension, you will
receive salary at half your basic payâ€. I will be
grateful to know under what clause this was invoked,
because the “Discipline, appeals and problem solving
employee guideâ€, clearly states that “For an
investigation to be carried out thoroughly and fairly
it may be necessary in specific circumstances to
suspend you from work on FULL PAY(where legally
permitted). At the time of being suspended you will be
informed of the reason and this will be communicated
in writing THEREAFTERâ€. Please refer to page 4 of the
same, under the heading “What is suspension from
work?â€
Secondly, your letter invokes “clause A5 C) i) of the
Collective Agreement covering Section Heads, Check
Clerks, Clerical and Subordinate staff for a period of
thirty (30) daysâ€. I will be grateful to have a copy
of the invoked clause, and will be also grateful to
know why it is in direct contradiction of the second
last sentence of the previous paragraph. I further
invoke my rights as an employee, and demand to be told
under what circumstances I have been suspended, under
the five provided for. The five provided for are,
1. It is considered that the individual may hinder the
investigation;
2. It would be inappropriate for the individual to
remain on the premises
3. The allegations are believed to be so serious that
they constitute gross misconduct that could result
in summary dismissal;
4. The individual may interfere with the Bank’s
equipment or property; or
5. The procedure was not followed
I will be grateful with your early response to
paragraphs 2 and 3.
I further take this early opportunity to state that
your purported suspension is unprocedural,
unprofessional, unwarranted, humiliating, and designed
to persecute and intimidate me. It is simply and
plainly victimisation. It is on plain paper with no
indication of it’s origin, other than your name, title
and signature, and neither is it copied to either
Barclays Advisory and Registrar Services Limited, the
Human Resources Division of Barclays Bank of Kenya
Limited, The Central Staff Committee of Barclays Bank
of Kenya, or the Banking Insurance and Finance Union
(BIFU), to give credence to your invocation of “clause
A5 C) i) of the Collective Agreement covering Section
Heads, Check Clerks, Clerical and Subordinate staff
for a period of thirty (30) daysâ€, and to further
validate your claim that you have consulted
exhaustively with the Human Resources Division of
Barclays Bank of Kenya. Given the magnitude of the
matter, the omissions are deliberate and designed to
hasten my dismissal from employment. These are
extremely serious grievances which I will pursue
internally and externally, whether or not I am
dismissed.
I am also extremely perturbed with the speed with the
decision to suspend was reached. This matter under
investigation came to light on Tuesday, 13th December
2005, as far as I am aware. I was summoned to the
Office of the Head of Registrar Services on Wednesday
afternoon, 14th December 2005 and responded to queries
regarding the matter. On Thursday afternoon, 22nd
December 2005, I was interviewed by an officer from
the Barclays Africa Security and Investigative
Services (BASIS). The interview and the statement I
recorded in his presence took about one hour. On
Tuesday morning, 27th December 2005, the same officer
came and gave me two plain pieces of paper on which I
appended 12 samples of my signature. I could not
understand why, because I have not disputed partly
handling the documents at any point. I was then given
a staff/suspect form to complete, after which I was
released. No sooner had this happened, you arrived and
summoned me to the office of the Head of Registrar
Services, and handed me your sham suspension letter.
There was no Union representative or Human Resources
Division representative to witness the same, and you
quickly shut me down when I sought clarification. It
therefore took slightly over 24 hours only to reach
this drastic decision.
What is baffling is that there are thirteen other
similar ongoing cases under investigation, which have
not been treated in the same manner at all. The
parties concerned have not been subjected to the
unfair and humiliating treatment that I am being
subjected to, neither have they been suspended. Of the
thirteen, I played a role in frustrating two, whereas
my advise in approaching a further two was
contemptuously brushed aside, causing a known loss
with at least one. May I also state that none of the
thirteen cases involves the Nicholas Colin Oliver
Watney fraud case, because I am convinced that you and
others are under the belief that I have never moved on
from that matter.
My conclusion is that I am being persecuted and
victimised because of my previous clashes with the
establishment. It is clear that you and several others
have, and will never forgive me, and are doing little
to conceal it.
I do not expect the slightest measure of fairness or
objectivity over the coming 6 weeks, and have prepared
myself for the worst. I will nevertheless co-operate
fully with your sham investigations and appear before
your sham Disciplinary and Grievances Panel. I will
face my fate with honour, and then lay bare the
workings of an organisation that professes to be world
class, and professes to place employees at the centre
of all it’s dealings. Do not get me wrong, I am fully
aware of the slow, painful, frustrating, laborious and
inefficient workings of the Kenyan Judicial system.
Should I be harmed or killed, I have ensured that
Barclays Bank of Kenya is held responsible.
Yours sincerely,
Michael Mundia Kamau
Howdy everyone, I’m Alberta, I found your blog easy to navigate, informative, and had good information on the subject I needed for my book report, Thanks
hey quick question – im a regular readre of ur blog – anayway im a software developer and im working on some software that will proabably be use by 1000’s of organization around the world -its open source. but at the same time most of the dveloper wo work on it are paid to develop it. anyway i was wondering about thepossibilities of ofshoring in kenya – do you think ist possible to find about 10 hardcore java developers in kenya. and by that that imean seasoned or the type of developer that could command at least 70K in the US.
there is mad potential before some clever inidans jump on this
HI,
Ive been searching for kenyan blogs for quite some time and im quite fascinated by yours. im very interested in starting up my own but i dont know the legal and financial implications. which is the best way to start up my own blog?
Thnk you and keep up yhe good work.
Boyd
Hello
Thank you so much for the information about yourself because as crazy and creepy as this may sound you are my inspiration. I’ve been telling my parents that i want to do exactly what you are doing but they don’t think that having a goal of working in human rights is anything more than being too idealistic.
I admit I am pretty naive after all i just graduated from high school but i have high hopes for kenya and Africa. It seems to me as if our country and continent can become something more than the sympathy and charity case of the rest of the world. I am planning on attending Austin College and majoring in international relations then hopefully getting int o Georgetown Law school. any information from you about what i need to get where you are would be helpful. by the way i live in Temple, Texs and again thank you very much for being my light at the end of the talent because everyone around me told me that what i want to do is impossible, it’s nice to have found your blog.
my heart bleeds for you.
i have been away from kenya for a number of years and would have thought this stuff was of time of old.
you need to contact a lawyer urgently and take this to the court.
sorry chap
Hello,
We’d like you to be part of our PostGlobal blogger advance team. Please email us if interested. We invite leading bloggers from around the world to convene global debates.
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Greetings, are there any columns in your blog that deal with culture/music?
Ory Okolloh,
Impressive, just came across the blog. You are doing well and hey first woman AG is indeed attainable. Happy belated birthday, 30 is indeed a wonderful age.
Stephen
Hello Ory,
Belated congratulations on the new arrival. Wishing Gabriela all the best. My wife says she’s very pretty.
Just to let you know we have uploaded 2 new grand corruption reports at http://www.marsgroupkenya.org
Help us to make some noise about them – we may save the country billions!
Mwalimu
habari gani wabwana na mabibi.
its is with great sadness that our precious kenyan youth male/female especially in the united states.
come weekend night out, are enganged in heavy drinkin binge & all out sex. knock out n drag sex escapeds. i hope that makes some hard working parents very proud, while most of the parents anxiously awaiting the return of they kids with some achievement in life, however on the flip sides of things apart from studies which most of these are here for, on daily bases a getting shaft up, in search ultimate fun wild sex & the dream of a green card. what first class trip self distruction!
plz don’t take our word for this- look into yourself. kenyans ultimate sin cities in u.s. ohio, tx, GA, LA. THE ABORTION RATE AMONG YOUNG KENYAN YOUTH HAS SKY ROCKETED. JUST CHECK THE FACTS, DON’T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
GOD BLLESS
Hi , Found your stuff very interesting
What happened to Mundia is sadly the case; Where is he now?
Nice work. First time here. Endelea Ory.
i need the email add of ory okolloh.im a nigerian.aoatata@yahoo.co.uk
HELLO ORY I READ ABOUT YOU IN bbc focus on africa magazine.i’m a nigerian lawyer.i like what you are doig in kenya with your site.we are working on a law publication.an international journal of law.how can you be part of it?we will appreciate an article from you.please reply.
Dear Ory,
It was really nice meeting you during the GK3 conference in Malaysia last week. Please be in touch.
I hope to join Global Voices soon. Please check out our blog at http://www.bangladeshcorporate.com.
Thanks.
Shehzaad
good job man appreciate all your updates coz thats all i got is you. kudos and still good job on what u do. thoought your website was blocked yesterday but you back.
kudos:grin::grin::grin:
Hi,
Just wanted to say thanks for keeping us updated on the situation in Kenya, especially the first few days when the local media was banned to do live coverage, and the international media was not on the scene.
This mess is really challenging my patriotism, but you inspire me. So, hopefully, there is a better tomorrow coming our way, when reasonable people like you will be our leaders.
Jah bless.
hello
am thankful for your update, funny i have been reading alot from you and am greatful for the updates. keep them coming as much as you can.
am sad about home , am getting tired of ppl asking me is that your country i just feel like saying no thts seria leon or angola you can just c the malice in ppl faces you can almost read “typical africans” on their faces . am not even sure who to be pissed of wit h is it the ppl that stole elections while the whole world was watching or is it the ignorance muders and displacements of innocent ppl that voted.
i keep on asking my self and my fellow dismayed kenyans y is it that we want to kill eachother and the enemies are the ppl that stole the elections on our eyes, i just feel like like saying if we want to be violent y not follow the ppl frm the east they go for the target and suicide bomb themselves instaed of killing innocent ppl.
no one should be killed or whatever they are doing back home for being whatever they are , or for whoever they voted for they just did their civil duties , go for the kivuitus and the likes they are the ones who stole the elections.:cry:
Hi Ory,
I was informed about your blog by my sister (who happens to be a friend of yours) and I’ve found it not only informative but very encouraging.
I was in Kenya when the election results were announced and although I was indifferent to any of the presidential candidates, I was incensed with the blatant abuse of the electoral process. It hurt, and still does, to see the brazen attitude the ECK and several politicians took when committing what I strongly believe was a fraud.
Back in the UK, my friends and I have decided to stop simply complaining and start acting. We have formed a group/forum to give other angry Kenyans in the UK a means act in a non-partisan way, mainly by lobbying UK lawmakers to put pressure on Kenyan politicians to address the injustices done to Kenyans. Please check out our blog kenyansforjustice.blogspot.com.
We believe that being angry does not mean you are pro or anti a specific person or party. You can be angry at injustice whether or not you agree with the perpetratior or victim.
Any advice, assistance, information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks and keep up the good work,
Andrew Mukolwe
kenyansforjustice.blogspot.com
Call on Kenya’s leaders to respect and protect human rights
please click on the link below to view information about an international day of public action
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/kenya-action
Hello Ory,
What you have done with your blog is something to reckon with. I have been truly inspired.
Coming from Rwanda where Genocide ideology is still rife, I am toying with the idea of fighting the ideology through blogging. I know achieving this is really long term, but I suppose there is always a starting point. May I also mention I joined the blogging world in recent months.
Could you please give me pointers on activism through blogging?
Best wishes.
am just writing to raise an issue on how citizen tv are being missued by their bosses. the bosses “mrs macharia” is complaining on how the cost of living has gone up that the company canot afford drinking water for its employees who are forced to use tap water, provision of tissue paper in the washrooms was cut due to the same reasons. yet the same person “mrs macharia” has ordered a state of the art custom made mercedes benz and we wonder where is this money coming from. last month afew reporters marketers were shown the door depending on what side of the political divide they were supporting. this was bad because the station lost some of the best reporters and this are the likes of phillip etale, bevin boke, catherine nyakanini, njambi kimani etc leaving people who have no idea on what to do. its has come to my notice that some are there depending on their relationship with the bosses eg jasmin martin who is a sports anchor and doesnt have any knowledge of sports but is there because of the favors she does to waruru wachira, louse otieno who does nothing but the interviews on tv doesnt have any papers but in a secret relationship with one latifa ngunjiri. am asking where is the media heading to if the employees are to treatetd like this
Greetings Ory – fantastic blog! I lived in Kenya in my early twenties hence the special interest in the country even though I’m not Kenyan. I blog randomly at http://www.africanaspects.com – do stop by next time you’re taking a break and sipping on a hot chocolate. Keep up the great work you seem to be doing! Oh – meant to ask – would you be willing to exchange blogroll links?
Ory,
Thank you very much for your TED talk from ’06 that finally made its way to the podcast a few days ago. My senior design project (solar powered, satellite connected computer kiosk) will be deployed in a few remote locations in Tanzania, and one of the online resources I had assumed would be African oriented was Swahili Wikipedia…
From what I read Ndesanjo Macha is not the only African contributor anymore, but to have 50 million native speakers and only a handful of contributors is sad situation I hope to help remedy.
I don’t know what sort of contact information you have for Ndesanjo, but I’d love to send him an email.
– Ben Kershner
Michigan State University
Hey!
I just saw your conference on TED, and I would be glad if I could help you, in anyway.
Cheers!
I do not have lots of money nor a great idea at the moment, but I have time and a computer…so please let me know if you have any use of me..Anna–Atlanta–Sweden
your ted talk was great–keep up the good work.
Hi Ory Okolloh,
This is Tom from The Committee to Protect Journalists. I have used both your sites (KenyanPundit and Ushahidi) in our work to protect journalists, thank you for all your efforts. I am also writing an analysis piece regarding new technology in Africa’s media and thought it vital that I chat to you. Please let me know how I can forward some questions for an interview (the notes will be used in our annual publication – “Attacks on the Press”.
Many thanks,
Tom Rhodes
Dear Ory,
I would like to thank you for your inspiring talk at the TED conference and take this opportunity to tell you about help2read (www.help2read.org).
Help2read is a charity I created in South Africa 4 yearsago, which has now helped over 800 children to read. Please check out our website and tell people about help2read, as we desperately need funds and local or international volunteers, to help as many children read as we possibly can.
I very mch look forward to hearing from you soon.
With thanks and warmest regards,
Marielle Moss
http://www.help2read.org
+44 7503 488 250
+44 207 435 55 75
mariellemoss@yahoo.com
Hey Ory,
I am running the largest Kenyan group on facebook, please check it out and post it on your forum. I just started it June this year and it has taken off. I rare do anything, people just post numerous posts and discussions of how they feel. I believe it is sending the message out that it is high time we get
CHANGE
here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=19194360527#/group.php?gid=19194360527
thanks
Moses Bomett
What’s so disturbing ?
Take a look at whats happening in Diani, Kenya. Plenty of Kenyans following foreign white men or women. A good amount is commercial sex. But most of it is the business of creating marriage opportunities. Go for an hour on Floor 9 of the NSSF building in Mombasa and count how many mixed marriage applicants pass through the civil marriage office.
Why ? Sina local pesa. Normal job / career / business opportunities are hard to come by anywhere, but especially on the coast – this type of “job” is easy meat.
Why ? Try counting the number of foreign controlled businesses who do tourism in Kenya and see this
Hi Ory,
I have been catching up on TED Talks on youtube lately and decided (I dont know what I was waiting for) to search the talks for terms like ‘Africa’, ‘Kenya’. I ended up watching your talk and I must say it was really well done! I like how you mixed a little bit of humor with a strong message of people changing their perceptions about Africa in general. I studied in and currently living in Canada and sometimes the experience of living here and viewing Kenya sort of outside-in gives me a unique lens through which I view problems in Africa and potential solutions. One thing I am interested in is empowerment of the people (of course in various ways) and while here, communicating the right message in a way that resonates with the people in the West – as an ambassador for Africa; just like you did in your talk. I am also trying to put together health-based initiatives to ’empower’ our health systems in Kenya. I get really encouraged when I see others you like doing your thing. All the best!
The Talking Generation
Allow me to first begin by applauding the efforts and achievements of Ms Okolloh. Having been her neighbor and past friend I know firsthand of the struggles she has had to overcome to get to where she is now. The candid opinion I’m about to express means no disrespect to her or her readers. Like all of you I have much respect and love for her.
That said, time has come for all of us to get a reality check.
The system that is in place today has failed us all. Our leaders have failed us and they continue to inadvertently laugh at us while the best we can do is keep talking about the ills of our society. Just like we stopped talking about the assassination of Dr Robert Ouko and Tom Mboya we in time will stop talking about the massacre of the past elections. May I remind you that the founding fathers of biggest economy in East Africa were far from a bunch of talkers. These were men and women who took action so that you and I could enjoy the benefits of living comfortably in Diaspora away from the lunacy that has corrupted the country. Our generation will be judged by History. Harshly because of the minimal progress that we the privileged have collectively made in securing a better future for those that will come after us. You only have to fly into JKIA after 20years away to realize how our leaders have crippled the nation. There has been no change whatsoever. Equally you wouldn’t have to wait too long to see some foreigners being ushered off the queue into a side entrance through immigration. To call it in your face corruption would be kind. Yet we all have learnt about the importance of first impressions. Any inclined feeling of progress past the airport would be understandably dashed. I mean what they have been doing for the past 20years. More importantly why have we allowed it and then gone on to complain about it like we suddenly woke up from a long term case of amnesia. Yes, the talking and informative services do help. Yes we on the outside are more aware. Yes we all laugh at the first lady’s antics not realizing a bad apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.Yes we are all critical and in agreement that what our government has done thus far is unacceptable. So when we point our fingers at politicians we should really all be in front of a mirror looking at the impotent source of the solution. I wonder how many of us have lost sleep thinking about the families of those that did survive the massacre. How for years they have struggled to create a new existence from being forced off their homes. Yet somehow I am sure that if I had a dollar for every person who has expressed their anger vocally we could eradicate poverty within the country. So I ask how far we are prepared to go. How many more conventions and conferences are we willing to attend and at what price. How many more voice exercises are we going to undertake before we realize IT IS JUST NOT ENOUGH. By the way I am not advocating we pick up arms and hit the streets. This is a new age and our education will be the key to winning this fight.
The 2009 elections in a little known country called Malawi were ground breaking. Non-violent. At least 95% of the members of parliament were shown their marching orders. Look it up if you have nothing better to do. The grip that the old guard had on power,vanished almost overnight. It was a sweet success for the people with the election of fresh blood. Isn’t it time for our people to enjoy this sweet success?
An anti-corruption bureau was set up to investigate corruption allegations for the former head of state. The case is going to court. Even though their system is not perfect they have taken the most important steps in the right direction. So I ask what is the difference between them and us? One word springs to mind. Action. An action is the father of every thought. Time has come to take action and stamp our place in the books of history. Corrupt leaders past and present should be held accountable for their actions. Whilst my liberal self wouldn’t advocate jail for these cartoon characters. I would insist that they pay back every shilling they stole or as a last resort jail time. This should start with the Goldenberg scandal. The former, present presidents and all their cronies that they concocted devious plans with to steal from the people who needed it most. We need to cease being a generation of talkers and become a generation of action figures. Just because you speak Swahili while chilling in the United States or England doesn’t make you a patriot. Just cause you periodically talk about Kenya on your facebook status doesn’t mean you are in touch with reality on the ground. The selfish prodigal sons and daughters of this state should hang their heads in shame. Me included. I care less what you sound like, whether you picked up an accent or not is irrelevant. What you can bring to the table is of upmost importance. The trivial squabbles about those living in or outside the country should be left to 9 year old kids. We need to pull together and CLAIM OUR COUNTRY BACK. Now I can almost hear you pessimists talking rubbish in my ear. I say save your negative talk for yourself. If you really have nothing positive to contribute, constructive criticism included please continue on with your hypocritical lifestyles. For the other 3 people who may read this post (lol) let me continue to breakdown what action I would take if I was in a privileged position such as yours.
An ancient saying United we stand Divided we fall, provides the umbrella with which we should conduct any actions. Enough of the talk. Here’s what I’d do:-
1.Form a new party that will contest in the coming elections. Obviously one has to look into the electoral commission requirements and make sure they are fully adhered to. See if we can engage the smartest and unselfish people in the country to participate.
2.Nominate Ms Okolloh for the position of President. Having known her for over 30years I would be pretty comfortable that she wouldn’t abuse the office of the president. Of course we have security concerns but a quick call to a fellow Harvard student with the same goals and ideals at the white house should cover this. However I agree that family should come first before anything else in life so maybe you could steer us in the direction of another worthy prospective candidate.
3.Request a detailed review of the constitution and legalities surrounding required changes. Maybe that Harvard Law will come into good use.
4.Start a grassroots movement similar to that of the little known senator from Illinois. We have 2 years just like he did. You’d be surprised at the number of people willing to help and volunteer for a just cause. The movement should be country wide and spearheaded by the prospective MP chosen by our future president. These MPs should be educated to a degree level and be active in their constituencies. I’m sure we all dislike MPs who spend all or most of their time in Nairobi and wait for election season to visit constituents. I know you’re going to say this will cost money but so did Barack’s election. Never underestimate the power of the people. We need to start raising money now.
5.Start drafting party policies and an oath for all party members that includes a clause that rewards corruption with a lengthy prison term.
6.Engage the people via the internet, mobile’s, radio etc. It’s the younger generation that should be targeted to talk to their parents especially in areas where illiteracy is strife. In fact I would encourage people especially those living in rural areas to take any money used to co hearse their vote but do the right thing like Spike in the voting booth. Liberal view.
You can see where I’m going with this. But maybe I’m just dreaming. Maybe our generation really is the talking generation. Maybe our women have lost conviction and the men have their panties in a twist. Men with no balls. Yet we live carefree in Diaspora waiting for someone else to undertake the arduous task. Maybe our kids. So unto you the generation of talkers I say I’m tired of reading your complaints of the very system you refuse to change.
Kind Regards
2012
HELP SUPPORT KENYAN CINEMA!
Hi Global Gals…and Global Girl Media Supporters:
(you are receiving this email because you have been a supporter of Global Girl Media, or we thought you’d like to know about us!)
See my blog at:
http://newsandmusefromglobalgirl.blogspot.com/2010/01/help-support-african-film-and-apologies.html
I just found I am a semi-finalist in the Ultimate Filmmakers Competition to win $500K to make my dream project JUA KALI: A HARSH SUN, a script I wrote about recent post-election violence in Kenya, told through POV of a young Kenyan girl, who brings a message of hope to her community.
The project has been a longtime in the making, since my days teaching young women at Kipsigis Girls High School in Kenya to more recent work training young women in South Africa to be citizen journalists for the 2010 World Cup!
It’s a film that foregrounds the female voice, from an African perspective, and one that refuses to portray the continent as a perpetual place of victimhood, violence or tragedy.
The project was chosen from 2500 entrants, made the quarterfinals of 250, and now the semi-finals which is down to just 23 filmmakers.
The next stage is the finals where only 5 of us go forward…and 1 person makes that cut via a public vote. If I make it, the prize is $500K would likely jumpstart the project into a reality…we could be shooting in Kenya this year!
You can see footage shot from the Film Independent’s Director’s Lab, featuring the actors
Idris Elba from “THE WIRE” and “OBSESSED, ” Edi Gathegi from “TWILIGHT” and Vanetta Smith from “FREEDOM WRITERS”
JIM DENAULT is the DP (Maria Full of Grace, Boys Don’t Cry).
There is well as some footage from the training I recently did for GLOBAL GIRL in Soweto with young women
to become broadcast journalists to cover the 2010 World Cup.
It’s easy–click, vote, and pass along the link to ALL YOUR FRIENDS! Tweet, facebook, whatever…and many thanks!
May we all have an inspired 2010!!
here’s the link:
http://www.ultimatefilmmakercompetition.com
AND IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT GLOBAL GIRL MEDIA, shoot me an email at:
amieswill@gmail.com
Ms. Okolloh,
We follow you on Twitter (@AfricanPhysics); and would like to engage on the idea of the African Square Kilometer Array telescope (SKA) telescope (http://www.ska.ac.za) since part of it will be in Kenya.
The SKA telescope will be the largest radio telescope in the world by far. It is a once-in-a-generation sized project. The construction costs alone are projected to be $2B USD. The EU and US are “committed” to funding one-third each. It will consist of 3,000 separate dishes (each about 15 meters in diameter). If all the dishes where put together the total area would be 1 square kilometer, hence the name. But the dishes would actually be spread out over multiple thousands of square kilometers. In the African plan, parts of the telescope would be put in at least nine countries: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mauritius, Mozambique, Madagascar, Zambia, Ghana and Kenya.
Conception of the SKA project started 15+ years ago. There has been an international competition to host the project. Two finalists, Africa and Australia, are now vying for the project, with the final decision projected to be made in 2012.
Observations made via SKA would answer some of the most fundamental questions about the nature of the universe, but radio telescopes also have applications in geophysics as Earth and space weather monitoring stations (geodesy), which is also a priority area for the AU science programme. But the SKA would far more than a tool for astrophysicists and geophysicists, the project would spur enormous scientific, technological and transformative economic and social growth in Africa. The SKA as a radio telescope is not as important as the fact that would be a high-capacity, multi-node, broadband networked, computing, signal processing, switching and communications system; basically what we know as the key technological backbone of modern economy and politics. Nothing tops SKA as essentially the potential nucleus for the African ICT system for the 21st — if not the 22nd — century.
One of the key enabling technologies for the SKA telescope is broadband internet connectivity. All 3,000 dishes will need to be connected together by fiber-optic cables. In its first hour of operation the SKA will generate more information than is currently held in the entire World Wide Web. Transmitting this information will require data transfer rates that are 500 times faster than current consumer broadband speeds. Thus, the SKA will require novel electronics designs, high data rate transmissions over long distances, and high performance computing, which will lead to multitudes of spillover effects for economic and social development across the continent. The completion of the SKA telescope will mean a new ICT grid in Africa, built with capacity not only for SKA but also for other business and consumer uses.
At the same time, the SKA will require some reliable power systems. Because the dishes need to be in rural areas, this could mean electrification in rural reaches of the continent. And the kinds of power production plants that could conceivably be used could be revenue generators in the global carbon credit markets.
So the smart build-out of broadband internet and electrification are where SKA will mean a lot of economic growth.
The SKA truly requires not only physicists and astronomers, but also mathematicians, computer scientists, and engineers of every type, as there are multiple scientific and technological challenges (not to mention economic, business, legal and political ones) still in the design, as well as the construction and operation plans of the project.
The SKA telescope, as an international research center of paramount importance, and a flagship project located in Africa , represent a unique opportunity for the development of very high-skilled human resources across the continent. This would create a critical mass of problem solving thinkers, able to find solutions to the water, food, health, energy and environmental challenges of the continent.
It will certainly help unbridle the imaginations of young Africans and inspire them to pursue mathematics and science at school, and to follow careers in science and engineering. And just as important, the SKA can replace Africa pessimism with Africa optimism.
Altogether, the internet build-out and electrification (if last-mile issues are adequately addressed), and the human capacity development make the SKA telescope a project that is crucial for Africa’s economic growth.
I welcome your interest in this project.
Hi, it’s really short notice but thought you might be interested in this web chat:
Prof Coll-Seck of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership will be online shortly talking about her organisation’s plans to halve the malaria burden by the end of the year.
We would love for you to join the debate and if you are interested, please do tweet or put up a post telling your community about it. The more diverse the voices, the better.
To find out more about the LIVE webchat TODAY at 1pm (GMT) please click on the link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/katine/katine-chronicles-blog/2010/mar/02/awa-marie-coll-seck-malaria
We are organising others with a very varied group of individuals, all of whom are making conrtibutions to thinking and action on development and Africa. From Jacqui Novogratz of the Acumen Fund to Mo Ibrahim, Chinua Achebe, William Kamkwamba (a yound Malawian who created a windmill to generate electricity from scraps in his village) and Wangari Maathai. If you would like to be kept informed, please do let me know.
Thanks and hopefully, see you online! Eliza
Have you begun work on refactoring the Kenyan mp tracker yet? We are interested in using soemthign similar for tracking the congressional black caucus in the US.
Hi Ory,
I’m a Nairobi-based journalist and I’m doing a story on the tech community in Kenya. You are high on my list of people to chat with. I’d love to get your comments on Ushahidi, iHub and the tech community here. I write for The National, http://www.thenational.ae
Please let me know how I can forward some questions over to you.
Thanks,
Matt
Well Done! I Like it!
Hi there,
I read about your Mzalendo website in Michela Wrong’s book, ‘It’s Our Turn to Eat’, and I wondered if I might be able to ask you some questions for my MA dissertation? I tried to contact you through that website but wasn’t sure if the message sent. I am looking in to how the perception of Kenya as a corrupt state (i.e. through personal knowledge, media reports, the TI Corruption Perceptions Index) affects Kenyan people’s perceptions of their abilities to make change happen through the democratic process. I should have a brief questionnaire ready in a couple of weeks or so and I would be most grateful if might be able to complete it and/or circulate it in any way?
Yours with thanks,
Jon Cope
Student
MA Critical Global Politics
Exeter University
UK
2010 ACP Photo Competition
Online Image
Today The Courier launched the “African, Caribbean and Pacific Talents: a Photo Award”.
As the title suggests, this competition is open to young photographers from ACP countries.
Through this competition, The Courier aims to increase the visibility of young photographers and encourage the use of photography as a tool to reflect and describe the society and the world around us.
The theme of the award is broad, and represents an invitation to investigate some of the most complex issues of our time.
The topics are:
Trade, Culture, Tradition, Science and technology, Climate change and their relations with development.
The winner will be selected by an international jury made up of professionals in the field, and will receive 1,000 euros.
Events and exhibitions will also be held in Brussels.
Please check on The Courier website for more information, for the detailed rules of the award and for the competition logo.
Thanks for spreading the news and please don’t esitate to email us should you have any question.
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Marco
Hello everyone,
I would like to invite you and your followers to see our on-line world premier of a video clip and song by macaco, with the collaboration of Youssou N´dour and Oumou Sangare and as special appearance of footballer Samuel Etoó.
go to
http://www.shoeaidfever.com
Click on the Lion! and spread the world!
hi bby!,been looking for ways to contact you bt atleast i can reach you here ,im based in nairobi, i work for exitpoverty.org we do lots of work in social resposibility etc …we’ed love to partner with you in community development for the poor in africa… By partnering with us you will can make a real difference to a cause we all care passionately about and together we will empower poor out of poverty
[…] o; Doraemon
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[…] also had some interesting visitors. Last week, Ory Okolloh, the Kenyan blogger and one of the founders of Ushahidi, came to Kibera with a Swiss documentary […]
[…] also had some interesting visitors. Last week, Ory Okolloh, the Kenyan blogger and one of the founders of Ushahidi, came to Kibera with a Swiss documentary […]
[…] Ms Okolloh, a lawyer and blogger, and indeed many Kenyans were now starved of information, a crucial commodity at the time. Ms Ory Okolloh, a kenyan blogger, who set up the Ushahidi blog that helped map the post election violence in 2008. Photo by Gregor Rohrig/ Flickr.com (CC) […]
[…] Bono and Bob’s newspaper editing activities, particularly this week at the Toronto Globe and Mail, catch the attention of The Guardian’s Lost In Showbiz column. Whatever you think of B&B, it’s a pity LiS didn’t mention that guest editor of the digital edition was co-founder and executive director of Ushahidi, Ory Okolloh. […]
[…] substantially more than we do now about what does — and does not — have real potential to work. Ory Okolloh, co-founder and executive director, […]
[…] Okolloh The Kenyan Pundit is heading to Google and will be directing policy for Africa for them. Hopefully […]
[…] with reliable news sources having to leave the country, one newly-expatriated blogger’s website became the site of an innovative attempt to provide an alternate source of information in […]
[…] I say it, precocious only child that I was. Youthful and a genius.  Last week I came across, via Ory Okolloh AKA KenyanPundit’s Sunday read, a Wired article about Genius and the two types of genius […]
[…] poignant examples of how public thinking triumphs over adversity is when a popular Kenyan blogger -Ory Okolloh- reached out to her audience. She wrote an entry about needing help to map out the violence and […]
[…] can connect with her on her blog and follow on twitter […]