Donations of Chinese laptops in Parliament "disappear"

The Chinese government has expressed surprise that a batch of laptops and projectors donated to the Kenyan Parliament have been delivered to an empty addressee.

Officials from the Chinese Embbady in Nairobi said the "friendship" gift was part of a pledge by Mr. Cao Jianming, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Assembly. National People's Congress (NPC) of China, which visited Kenya almost four months ago. .

Mr. Cao, who became the third top Chinese parliamentary official to visit Kenya in five years, asked the Chinese Embbady to facilitate the delivery of the goods.

"We were shocked to learn by the National Assembly that when the container (containing the laptops and projectors) arrived in Parliament on Tuesday, July 30 and that it was opened by officials of the Assembly, it was empty, "said the Chinese Embbady in a statement. .

Mr. Michael Sialai, Clerk of the National Assembly, said Thursday that the container labeled "Diplomatic Goods" had been opened in the presence of senior officials, but that it contained nothing.

"When opening the container seals, it was confirmed that it was empty," Sialai said in a statement.

Mr. Sialai stated that he had asked investigators from the Criminal Investigations Branch (DCI) attached to the Parliament's police station to take the road to investigate this incident.

According to the Embbady, ​​the shipment has been duly shipped and is expected to be delivered to Parliament in July this year.

It is not yet clear whether the equipment was removed from the container before the arrival of the cargo to Kenya or after arriving in the country.

Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, goods marked "diplomatic" may not be opened, even by customs officials at points of entry, except with the agreement of the diplomatic mission of the country. Sending or receiving.

On Thursday morning, the goods delivery agent, Ballore Africa Transport and Logistics Ltd., did not respond to inquiries.

China National Enterprises Ltd was commissioned by Beijing to send the goods.

The embbady is shocked by the developments and is working with the security forces to investigate this incident.

"We believe that with the professionalism of DCI, this case will be resolved and the equipment recovered through their intervention."

Whether the container was loaded by mistake, that is, goods stolen in transit or emptied by rogue officials on the Kenyan side, remains to be determined. But this could raise important security issues for Parliament.

In charge of monitoring key policies, including those that protect Kenya's national interests, questions arise as to why Parliament would accept a donation of computers from China.

Just over a year ago, the Chinese cracked down on corruption charges at the African Union headquarters that they helped build in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

French newspaper The world reported that Chinese officials had placed faucets in the building of 200 million dollars (20 billion shillings), listening to the conversations about the key decisions of the continental body. China and the AU rejected the report. The Chinese installed the computer system used in the building.

In Kenya, the Chinese argue that computer donation was a "gesture of friendship."

Last April, Mr. Cao, who also met with President Uhuru Kenyatta, met with his Kenyan counterparts, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Cheboi, and his counterpart of the Senate, Professor Kithure Kindiki, at bilateral discussions on parliamentary cooperation. the two countries. "

"Over the years, the Chinese government has made friendly donations to our Kenyan brothers and sisters, including food aid, medical equipment and office equipment. Among them, there was office equipment donated to Parliament in 2018. All were delivered unharmed, "said the Embbady.

Mr Sialai said he hoped that DCI would help solve the problem.