US Imposes Sanctions on Former Kenyan Attorney General

The United States Government has imposed sanctions on Kenyan former Attorney General, Amos Wako barring him, his wife and son from traveling to the States.

US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, in a statement released by the Department of State on Monday said Mr. Wako, currently serving as Senator representing Busia County which borders Uganda, was involved in corruption while serving as Kenyan Attorney General between 1991 and 2011.

“Today, the Department designates former Kenyan Attorney General Amos Sitswila Wako due to his involvement in significant corruption.  This designation is made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2019 (Div. F, P.L. 116-6), as carried forward by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020 (Div. A, P.L. 116-59),” said part of the statement.

Section 7031(c) provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States.

The law also requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their immediate family members.

The wife and son of Wako, who was in October 2009 was also given a travel ban by the USA for ‘deliberately blocking political reforms’ following post-poll violence in 2008, have also been designated.

“In addition to the designation of Mr. Wako, the Department is also publicly designating Wako’s wife, Flora Ngaira, and son, Julius Wako,” added the statement.

Pompeo noted that the move, which comes barely a month after the designation of former Zimbabwean National Security Minister Owen Nkube, signifies Washington’s strong position against corrupting in Kenya.

“Today’s action sends a strong signal that the United States is a valuable partner in Kenya’s fight against corruption.  Economic prosperity for all Kenyans is only possible by defeating the scourge of corruption, which also requires a functional, fair, and transparent criminal justice system,” noted the statement.

It concluded that US stands with the people of Kenya in the fight against corruption.

“The United States will continue to stand with all Kenyans as they strive to curb and punish corruption in Kenya.”

Wako was hugely involved in Goldenberg scandal, a political scandal where the Kenyan government was found to have subsidized exports of gold far beyond standard arrangements during the 1990s, by paying the company Goldenberg International 35% more (in Kenyan shillings) than their foreign currency earnings. Although it notionally appears that the scheme was intended to earn hard currency for the country, it is estimated to have cost Kenya the equivalent of more than 10% of the country’s annual Gross Domestic Product.

The new development comes just a month after the slapping of sanctions on Uganda’s former Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura on September 13^th 2019 over similar accusations.

ChimpReports on September 15^th 2019 published a story detailing drastically increased US sanctions on the African targets in the past few months.