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Shelter Afrique board to grill Ba, Kandie

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 – The Board of Shelter Afrique is expected to meet on Wednesday and Thursday to assault allegations made against Managing Director Allassane Ba by the organisation’s Finance Director Karen Kandie.

Ba is alleged to have assaulted Kandie at the firm’s offices on June 28.

Police questioned the Mauritanian, but they could not detain or charge him since he was said to enjoy diplomatic immunity.

In her statement to the police, Kandie claimed that Ba physically assaulted her in his office, causing her bruises to her limbs, when she went to confront him regarding her end-of-year performance appraisals.

Board Secretary Ruth Onyancha said in a statement on Sunday, that the Board shall ‘take a position on the inviolability and extraterritoriality of the Headquarter’s Seat of SHELTER-AFRIQUE in terms of the Agreement signed and still in place with the Republic of Kenya.’

Shelter Afrique was established in 1982 by African governments, the African Development Bank, Africa-Reinsurance and CDC, with the mandate of mobilising resources for housing development in Africa.

The organisation’s board of directors issued a statement saying it is investigating the saga surrounding some of their staff.

This comes after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Ba’s diplomatic immunity does not cover cases of assault and other crimes.

A letter seen by Capital FM News from Foreign Affairs PS Thuita Mwangi to Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere stated that Ba was not classified as a diplomat.

According to the PS, the agreement signed by Shelter Afrique in 1983 did not grant officials of the organisation absolute immunity.

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“The government signed a host country agreement with Shelter Afrique on October 19, 1983. Article 31 of the agreement provides that ‘without prejudice to the privileges and immunities granted, the officials of Shelter Afrique are required to respect the laws and regulations of Kenya.’ it is therefore clearly implied that the immunities enjoyed under the host country agreement are not absolute and are indeed subject to the laws of the host country,” the letter copied to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keriako Tobiko states.

The Board Secretary also confirmed that Managing Director Allassane Ba has expressed his personal commitment to co-operate fully with Kenya’s investigating authorities and the judicial system to ensure that justice is done.

She said that Ba has been consulting with his legal counsel on the approach towards engaging with the police to records his side of the story.

The board will also determine the course of action regarding Kandie’s appeal to the Board for re-assessment of her performance following her dissatisfaction with her supervisor’s appraisal.

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