HABARI
on Kenya's Goldenberg Revelation
By Patrick L. Thimangu
 How
Kenya survived the Daniel Arap Moi era without turning into a complete
economic and social basket case could be the biggest mystery posed
by the shocking levels of theft in his government, as detailed last
week.
First came the stunner May 19, when Kiraitu Murungi, Kenyan justice
and constitutional affairs minister, told Parliament that sleuths
hired by the government had unearthed about $3.1 billion stolen
from Kenyans during Moi's reign. About $2 billion, or nearly 65
percent of the loot traced so far by New York-based Kroll Inc.,
is in overseas bank accounts and investments held by three Kenyans,
Kiraitu told startled members of parliament.
A day after the Kiraitu disclosure, Kamlesh Pattni, the man behind
Kenya's biggest fraud case, told a public inquiry that Moi was his
50-50 partner in Goldenberg International. The company is
alleged to have pilfered about $600 million from the Kenyan Treasury
in financial compensation for bogus gold and diamond exports from
1991 to 1993.
While Moi has denied Pattni's allegation, and Kiraitu has yet to
name the individuals behind Kroll's finding, the sums of money cited
in both issues are astounding. The majority of Kenyans survive on
less that $1 per day, according to the World Bank, so theft of $4
billion, or about a third of Kenya's national debt, is a very big
deal.
As the Goldenberg inquiry continues, more big names are bound to
be mentioned in connection with the massive fraud. Whatever direction
the case takes, Moi and his closest henchmen will have a hard time
explaining how Pattni, then 25 years old, could alone have pulled
off the colossal theft, under their watch. There also is a likelihood
that the Kibaki administration will connect Goldenberg to the cash
and investments that Kroll has found in the U.S., Australia, Switzerland,
South African and other countries.
So far, Pattni has painted himself as a brilliant and young, but
gullible, patriot who had a brilliant idea to earn Kenya a lot of
foreign currency by creating a legal and free marketplace for East
and Central African gold and gemstones in Nairobi. But the idea,
he alleged, was hijacked and corrupted by Moi; James Kanyotu, the
former head of Kenyan intelligence; and others.
Pattni has had long time to rehearse juicy songs many Kenyans wanted
to hear, including one in which Pattni said he bribed Moi with $66,000
to attain rights for setting up Goldenberg. Citizens of the East
African nation have yet to hear better or even sadder tunes from
their former president and his friends.
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