Matiangi appeared before the parliamentary committee on National Security and Administration on Tuesday/MUTHONI NJUKI
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 3 – Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi has defended the government decision to send Miguna Miguna to Dubai where he originated from, saying he made it difficult to be allowed into the country.
Appearing before the National Assembly National Security and Administration committee on Tuesday, Matiangi stated that Miguna is to blame for declining to have his Canadian Passport stamped for him to be allowed into the country, as per immigration rules and international conventions governing international airports.
“The Canadian High Commissioner sent consular officers to the airport to meet with Mr Miguna and they spent three hours persuading him either to give his passport to be stamped or they could try to find a way of facilitating him in the diplomatic manner so that he could leave the airport. He refused,” Matiangi said.
He stated that what the government did was in compliance with the Immigration laws which no one is exempt.
“The Pope had his passport stamped on entry. President Barack Obama had his passport stamped on entry. Even President Uhuru Kenyatta had his passport stamped on entry last night,” he said.
He explained that the controversial lawyer was not even deported as he had not entered the country yet. “We did not deport Miguna. We just returned him to his port of departure. If it was deportation, I would have had to sign a deportation order.”
On his conviction alongside Police Chief Joseph Boinnet and Immigration PS, Gordon Kihalangwa, Matiangi stated that the decision was unfair because it was not possible for the government to comply with initial court orders that required police to present an individual who was not in their custody.
Matiangi also insisted that they have not been served with any court order.
“An officer rang me up to say that I am supposed to appear before a judge but we had not even been served with a court order anyway and there was no way we would have been there because we were at the GSU pass out parade,” he said.
He stated that he has appealed the contempt ruling against him and filed complaints against the judges who have been handling Miguna cases. “We have filed a complaint through the AG to the JSC on how this matter was heard. We cannot be contemptuous of a court order we have not been served with.”
Miguna arrived in Toronto on Monday after more than a week of drama at the Jomo Kenyatta International and Dubai airports, and has vowed to return back as soon as he is done with medical tests.
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