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### Viewing cable 06NAIROBI1187, MERCENARIES" IN KENYA TURN TABLES ON THEIR

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06NAIROBI1187 | 2006-03-15 13:27 | 2011-04-06 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Nairobi

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    VZCZCXRO9730
    OO RUEHDE
    DE RUEHNR #1187/01 0741327
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    O 151327Z MAR 06
    FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0292
    INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 8305
    RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM PRIORITY 4544
    RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI PRIORITY 4032
    RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA PRIORITY 1214
    RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1907
    RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1883
    RUEHYE/AMEMBASSY YEREVAN PRIORITY 0006
    RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI PRIORITY 0064
    RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
    RHMFISS/CJTF HOA  PRIORITY

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 001187

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2026
    TAGS: PGOV PINS PREL CVIS KE
    SUBJECT: "MERCENARIES" IN KENYA TURN TABLES ON THEIR
    ACCUSERS

    REF: A. (A) NAIROBI 988

         ¶B. (B) NAIROBI 1114
         ¶C. (C) NAIROBI 1023

    Classified By: A/DCM Michael J. Fitzpatrick.  Reasons 1.4 (b,d)

    ¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Stepping out of the shadows, Kenya's
    "foreign mercenaries" stun Kenya with claims the opposition,
    not the government, tried to hire them to bankroll regime
    change.  Following the foreigners' March 13 staged press
    conference, ostensibly to clear their names, the intensity of
    the accusations has only grown, with calls for arrests of the
    very opposition leaders who days ago were on the offensive.
    While it is early yet to sift truth from sensation, it is
    clear that these men are connected to prominent Kenyans and
    are fuel for the increasingly hostile and messy political
    debate in Kenya.  END SUMMARY.

    Hired Thugs or Just Fabulously Wealthy Businessmen?
    --------------------------------------------- ------

    ¶2.  (C) After a week of cat-and-mouse with the media and
    opposition, alleged mercenaries are out of hiding and turning
    the tables on their Kenyan accusers.  On March 13, two men,
    identified in the media as foreign mercenaries, staged a
    press conference to "clear their names."  Dressed to the hilt
    in "Soprano-esque" suits and dripping with ostentatious gold
    accessories, one even sporting gold-rimmed rose-colored
    glasses for the event, they denied claims that they are
    mercenaries hired by the Kenyan government.  They claim to
    have just returned to Kenya after a few days in Dubai.  The
    men's coming-out followed opposition ODM leader MP Raila
    Odinga's repeated accusations that the government hired
    foreigners to carry out the March 2 raid on the Standard
    Media Group and to assassinate leading opposition figures
    (ref A).  During their press event held in a limited-access
    airport "government VIP lounge," the men claimed they are
    Armenians and merely wealthy businessmen. They added, "if we
    were mercenaries, Kenya could not afford us."  They claimed
    to have had failed business dealings with Odinga and met with
    Kalonzo Musyoka and Odinga who sought USD 41,600,000 to
    support the "No" referendum campaign as a way to bring down
    the Kibaki government.  They also announced that they had
    loaned Odinga approximately USD1.5 million in cash.

    ¶3. BIONOTE:  Photocopies of passports believed to belong to
    the two foreigners reveal that they are: Margaryan, Artur,
    DOB: 15 Jan 73, passport number AB0322223, issued 27 Jan 97;
    and Sargsyan, Artur, DOB: 14 May 70, passport number
    AF0599780, issued 1 Mar 03.  END BIONOTE.

    ¶4.  (C) At their own press conference the next day, both
    Odinga and Musyoka deny the claims.  ODM accused the
    foreigners of laundering drug trafficking proceeds and
    challenged President Kibaki to come clean on the presence of
    the Armenians in Kenya.  State House responded with a
    Presidential Press Service statement warning Odinga against
    tarnishing the Office of the President with baseless
    "propaganda."  One of the mercenaries claimed to have
    videotaped his passing money to Odinga in a Dubai hotel
    several months ago.  Pro-government members of parliament,
    led by Environment Minister Kivutha Kibwana, called March 14
    for the arrest of Odinga and Musyoka on charges of treason.
    (NOTE:  Post has reason to believe that the threat to arrest
    Odinga may indeed be imminent.  Given the tribal undertones
    and the clear sense that this is no longer "politics as
    usual," Post has urged State House not to rashly move to
    arrest Odinga or other opposition leaders.  Presidential
    Policy Adviser Stanley Murage told A/DCM March 15 that the
    police would take statements from the Armenian accusers this
    week before making any arrests.  END NOTE.)

    ¶5.  (C) Numerous irregularities in the Armenians' stories
    create a strong suspicion that the government may be
    puppeteering the charade to discredit Odinga and other
    opposition leaders. (Ref B.) The foreigners claim they are
    Armenians, even nephews of the Armenian Prime Minister.
    However, the Kenyan Immigration Minister, John Konchella,
    says that they are Czech nationals.  Even their very arrival
    at the airport is in dispute.  They claim to have just

    NAIROBI 00001187  002 OF 002

    arrived from Dubai on a Kenya Airways flight.  However,
    immigration officials stated they arrived on a charter
    flight.  Several others, including Odinga, insist the pair
    arrived via a government vehicle to the airport hours before
    the Dubai flight landed.  Post has various pieces of evidence
    suggesting that the men are associated with either State
    House or one of the "first families" and Kamlesh Pattni, the
    man behind the Goldenberg scandal.

    Demonstrations: Not Just for the Opposition
    -------------------------------------------

    ¶6.  (C) Proving the government can also draw a crowd (ref C),
    a handful of pro-Kibaki officials organized a march through
    downtown Nairobi March 10.  The MPs present professed their
    loyalty to President Kibaki.  "Just like ants, termites, and
    bees do not allow the queen to be attacked, we will also
    protect the President."  The event also included a slew of
    accusations against ODM leader Raila Odinga, with a foreign
    twist - Raila sold part of his business interests to Russian
    arms dealers, and "is the one with links in Russia, having
    gone to college there."  (NOTE: In fact, Odinga went to
    college in East Germany.  END NOTE.)  The opposition was not
    the only target.  According to media reports, Assistant
    Gender and Sports Minister Maina Kamanda warned journalists
    against writing reports that discredit the government.  Media
    persons, he said, "would not be spared in the event of
    chaos," suggesting they would be held accountable should
    their work incite unrest. Attempting to tone down the ethnic
    tenor of the rhetoric, Kibaki, speaking at a meeting of 70
    MPs aligned with him, advised his colleagues to "weigh very
    carefully what we say," and avoid "opportunistic politics."

    Comment
    -------

    ¶7.  (C) Forget the fiction of LeCarre's novel "The Constant
    Gardener."  This real-life tale of hired thugs of
    questionable nationality, prominent Kenyans, massive
    corruption, blackmail, threats, and narcotics trafficking
    schemes, reads like a script Hollywood would reject as
    unbelievable.  Unfortunately, the duelng accusations have
    sidetracked public attention from the seriousness of the
    underlying issues of corruption and democratic space.
    Indeed, each new revelation of wrong-doing is bound to shake
    the public's faith in both sides' stries and their
    leaderships. END COMMENT.
    ROWE

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