Professor Kimya: Link Between Bank Robberies And Prof Saitoti’s Dramatic Goldenberg Acquittal

The scene will be analyzed by historians for years. It was one of those very few moments when a politician loses their head in full view of the public, TV cameras rolling, press cameras flashing.



Prof. George Saitoti: From Bouncing 500 bob cheques to immense wealth. Where did the money come from?

The scene was Kasarani Stadium, 2002. After spending huge sums of money lobbying quietly to guarantee his nomination as the Kanu presidential candidate, then Vice President Prof George Saitoti had just discovered that his name was missing from the list of contenders. The former Mathematics professor saw red and completely went bazooka.

President Moi, who was already seated, his own sums already tidily done and concluded, was forced to stand up. “Professor Kimya,” (Shut up professor, he shouted angrily.) The professor didn’t seem to care and went on with his tirade, something to the effect that he was not going to take this (meaning the political professor’s sums for the Kanu presidential flag bearer).

Now President Moi really lost his marbles and this time shouted (Professor Kimya) so loudly that his aide de camp looked like he was going to do something drastic to protect the boss like draw a gun or something. It was this second shout that finally reached the ears of Prof Saitoti and his senses returned to him. He quietly took his seat. Moi remained standing for a while longer giving Saitoti the sort of look headmasters used to give (in the caning days) when they were about to go on a caning frenzy, whipping away on the backside of some poor defenseless pupil.

Finally he took his seat.

Kanu quickly went on to transact their business and elevate Uhuru Kenyatta to the sole Kanu presidential candidate. But in that moment of madness at Kasarani, it was not too difficult to read Moi’s mind and to guess what had really made him so raving mad about Prof George Saitoti. Saitoti was a mathematics lecturer at the University of Nairobi, driving a Volkswagen Beetle and issuing 500 bob cheques that his bank (same as mine at the time) was refusing to honour and returning with the words “Refer to drawer” scrawled across them (I kid you not) when Moi literally picked him up from the dust and put him straight into the cabinet. With one stroke of the pen, the all powerful President Moi nominated him as an MP and made him minister of finance. Within a year or so, Prof Saitoti was the Vice President.

If Moi was a Mafia boss he would have said something like; "I made you what you are BOY and now you spit on my face," delivered in that heavy Italian accent. (I love Mafia movies, so much humour.)

Anyway, back to the professor. A few years later, the man who was bouncing 500 bob cheques, higher than a tennis ball, was not only the second most powerful man in the land, but he was also wealthy beyond belief. If you want to get an idea of just how wealthy the professor is, try this one for size. He was the main financier of the Narc campaign in 2002 and he did it without wincing (and with a little help from Raphael Tuju). Think of all those color posters, flyers and handouts. Not to mention the full page newspaper advertisements. Those who have an idea of the kind of double digit millions that were used in 2002 may begin to get a picture of what I am saying here.

So how did the man get so outrageously wealthy? We know he doesn’t own Microsoft or Google. (No local business in Kenya at the moment can produce the kind of money we are talking about here for an individual. Not even owning Barclays Bank of Kenya (their profit is only a few measly billions a year. Politicians used to make that in one deal, in the Moi days.)

Now fast forward to this past week and what do we see? The courts gave the man a clean bill of health, legally. It was concluded that nobody has a right to prosecute the good professor over Goldenberg, citing a few technicalities. It may not be the end of the matter but there is no denying the fact that chances are pretty high now that the professor will go scott free and ride into the sunset to enjoy his ill gotten wealth. Actually my money and your money. Money that belongs to the people of Kenya.

A few points in support of the professor, because this site has a reputation for being hard but fair. The truth is that Goldenberg was instigated and authorized at the highest level. There is no way those colossal amounts of cash would have moved without a nod from the highest authority in the land. But Moi did not sign anything, so there is no evidence to link him to Goldenberg. You can look for it for 100 years, you will not find it. But guess whose signature is on the most incriminating documents? Hon George Saitoti of course. Granted, he had no choice but to obey his boss and sign. In fact chances are that he would not have lived, had he decided to defy orders.

But all that is besides the point. It is clear that individuals surrounding the president took full advantage of the Goldenberg saga to line their pockets with public funds. If Saitoti and other Goldenmberg suspects are allowed to go scott free without answering for anything, the message to the Kenyan public will be clear and terrible.

We will be saying what we have said since independence. Namely that it is okay to steal as long as you steal a huge amount from public coffers and use the same money to defend yourself. We are also saying that it is okay to rape as long as it is a country and not a woman or man that you are raping.

The spate of bank robberies we have seen in recent times is from youths who seem to have given up on the system ever being a just one and they therefore see nothing to lose taking their chances out there in serious crime.

There is a clear link between theft in high office and increased violent crime. The solution is not in hiring more policemen as we have clearly seen so far. The solution is a clean up... starting from right at the top.

What all this means is that some murderous carjacing robber rapist should also be cleared now on some technicality and not be held responsible for something they did 10 years ago.

The thing that brings tears to my eyes is that this man was once a front runner for the presidency. And it gets worse... some of his Kanu colleagues who stole more quietly are now front runners to win the presidency.Guys who raped and robbed the country repeatedly when they were in Kanu. It makes me sick!!

========================
Errant Buru Buru Husband Learns The Easy Way.

Kumekucha For President: Two Initiatives That Will Have Tremendous Impact On The Lives of Kenyans

The much-talked-about-and-looked-for photograph of Winnie Wangui Mwai that has now been circulating via email for a long time, has finally surfaced at some photography blog.

View photo here.