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Ababu aide confesses recording Raila meeting

Corporal Bernard Ouma Odako told the parliamentary Powers and Privileges Committee that after he saw how troubled his boss was due to many allegations levelled against Namwamba, he decided to take it upon himself to protect him/CFM

Corporal Bernard Ouma Odako told the parliamentary Powers and Privileges Committee that after he saw how troubled his boss was due to many allegations levelled against Namwamba, he decided to take it upon himself to protect him/CFM

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 27 – An Administration Police officer attached to embattled Public Accounts Committee chairman Ababu Namwamba has admitted he recorded a conversation between his boss, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Nakuru Town West MP Samuel Arama and Suna East MP Junet Mohammed.

Corporal Bernard Ouma Odako told the parliamentary Powers and Privileges Committee that after he saw how troubled his boss was due to many allegations levelled against Namwamba, he decided to take it upon himself to protect him.

“I decided to use my personal intelligence to record the conversation and see how I could help my boss in the security department. It is not just about combating the enemy with a gun, security means trying to secure ‘mheshimiwa’ both intellectually and the means given by the Standing Orders,” Odako said.

He said his boss was not aware that when he gave him the phone it was recording and only notified him when he finished the meeting which took around 15-20 minutes, at Fairview hotel.

He insists Namwamba did not react after he told him that he had recorded the conversation and only responded to him three days later.

“What you did was perfect; it shall be useful to me,” said Namwamba to him.

He said he has never listened to the original recording as he recorded it on Namwamba’s phone.

“I have never heard the original, what I heard is only in the media,” Odako said.

He said Namwamba was a close friend despite being his boss adding that he even knew the password to his phone as he constantly handled it.

He pointed out that it was not the first time he recorded his boss’s meetings; the last was in 2006 during the campaigns for the 2007 General Election when Namwamba was meeting supporters allied to one of his rivals.

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He had not joined the police force then.

“Why did you find it prudent to record the conversation during this meeting with the former Prime Minister?” asked Moses Cheboi, who chairs the privileges committee.

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures and as a prudent officer I did that,” Odako responded.

The committee then sought to find out whether Namwamba made any comment when the phone was handed over to him.

He said the Budalang’i legislator did not say anything.

The committee is yet to decide whether to admit the audio recording submitted in a flash-disk as members doubt its credibility.

Some have claimed, the recording may not be a copy of the original and could have been edited.

The committee is expected to present its report to Parliament next week.

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