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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 001187 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2026 
TAGS: PGOV PINS PREL CVIS KE
SUBJECT: "MERCENARIES" IN KENYA TURN TABLES ON THEIR 
ACCUSERS

 
REF: A. (A) NAIROBI 988 
 
     ¶B. (B) NAIROBI 1114 
     ¶C. (C) NAIROBI 1023 
 
Classified By: A/DCM Michael J. Fitzpatrick.  Reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Stepping out of the shadows, Kenya's 
"foreign mercenaries" stun Kenya with claims the opposition, 
not the government, tried to hire them to bankroll regime 
change.  Following the foreigners' March 13 staged press 
conference, ostensibly to clear their names, the intensity of 
the accusations has only grown, with calls for arrests of the 
very opposition leaders who days ago were on the offensive. 
While it is early yet to sift truth from sensation, it is 
clear that these men are connected to prominent Kenyans and 
are fuel for the increasingly hostile and messy political 
debate in Kenya.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Hired Thugs or Just Fabulously Wealthy Businessmen? 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶2.  (C) After a week of cat-and-mouse with the media and 
opposition, alleged mercenaries are out of hiding and turning 
the tables on their Kenyan accusers.  On March 13, two men, 
identified in the media as foreign mercenaries, staged a 
press conference to "clear their names."  Dressed to the hilt 
in "Soprano-esque" suits and dripping with ostentatious gold 
accessories, one even sporting gold-rimmed rose-colored 
glasses for the event, they denied claims that they are 
mercenaries hired by the Kenyan government.  They claim to 
have just returned to Kenya after a few days in Dubai.  The 
men's coming-out followed opposition ODM leader MP Raila 
Odinga's repeated accusations that the government hired 
foreigners to carry out the March 2 raid on the Standard 
Media Group and to assassinate leading opposition figures 
(ref A).  During their press event held in a limited-access 
airport "government VIP lounge," the men claimed they are 
Armenians and merely wealthy businessmen. They added, "if we 
were mercenaries, Kenya could not afford us."  They claimed 
to have had failed business dealings with Odinga and met with 
Kalonzo Musyoka and Odinga who sought USD 41,600,000 to 
support the "No" referendum campaign as a way to bring down 
the Kibaki government.  They also announced that they had 
loaned Odinga approximately USD1.5 million in cash. 
 
¶3. BIONOTE:  Photocopies of passports believed to belong to 
the two foreigners reveal that they are: Margaryan, Artur, 
DOB: 15 Jan 73, passport number AB0322223, issued 27 Jan 97; 
and Sargsyan, Artur, DOB: 14 May 70, passport number 
AF0599780, issued 1 Mar 03.  END BIONOTE. 
 
¶4.  (C) At their own press conference the next day, both 
Odinga and Musyoka deny the claims.  ODM accused the 
foreigners of laundering drug trafficking proceeds and 
challenged President Kibaki to come clean on the presence of 
the Armenians in Kenya.  State House responded with a 
Presidential Press Service statement warning Odinga against 
tarnishing the Office of the President with baseless 
"propaganda."  One of the mercenaries claimed to have 
videotaped his passing money to Odinga in a Dubai hotel 
several months ago.  Pro-government members of parliament, 
led by Environment Minister Kivutha Kibwana, called March 14 
for the arrest of Odinga and Musyoka on charges of treason. 
(NOTE:  Post has reason to believe that the threat to arrest 
Odinga may indeed be imminent.  Given the tribal undertones 
and the clear sense that this is no longer "politics as 
usual," Post has urged State House not to rashly move to 
arrest Odinga or other opposition leaders.  Presidential 
Policy Adviser Stanley Murage told A/DCM March 15 that the 
police would take statements from the Armenian accusers this 
week before making any arrests.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶5.  (C) Numerous irregularities in the Armenians' stories 
create a strong suspicion that the government may be 
puppeteering the charade to discredit Odinga and other 
opposition leaders. (Ref B.) The foreigners claim they are 
Armenians, even nephews of the Armenian Prime Minister. 
However, the Kenyan Immigration Minister, John Konchella, 
says that they are Czech nationals.  Even their very arrival 
at the airport is in dispute.  They claim to have just 
 
NAIROBI 00001187  002 OF 002 
 
 
arrived from Dubai on a Kenya Airways flight.  However, 
immigration officials stated they arrived on a charter 
flight.  Several others, including Odinga, insist the pair 
arrived via a government vehicle to the airport hours before 
the Dubai flight landed.  Post has various pieces of evidence 
suggesting that the men are associated with either State 
House or one of the "first families" and Kamlesh Pattni, the 
man behind the Goldenberg scandal. 
 
Demonstrations: Not Just for the Opposition 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Proving the government can also draw a crowd (ref C), 
a handful of pro-Kibaki officials organized a march through 
downtown Nairobi March 10.  The MPs present professed their 
loyalty to President Kibaki.  "Just like ants, termites, and 
bees do not allow the queen to be attacked, we will also 
protect the President."  The event also included a slew of 
accusations against ODM leader Raila Odinga, with a foreign 
twist - Raila sold part of his business interests to Russian 
arms dealers, and "is the one with links in Russia, having 
gone to college there."  (NOTE: In fact, Odinga went to 
college in East Germany.  END NOTE.)  The opposition was not 
the only target.  According to media reports, Assistant 
Gender and Sports Minister Maina Kamanda warned journalists 
against writing reports that discredit the government.  Media 
persons, he said, "would not be spared in the event of 
chaos," suggesting they would be held accountable should 
their work incite unrest. Attempting to tone down the ethnic 
tenor of the rhetoric, Kibaki, speaking at a meeting of 70 
MPs aligned with him, advised his colleagues to "weigh very 
carefully what we say," and avoid "opportunistic politics." 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Forget the fiction of LeCarre's novel "The Constant 
Gardener."  This real-life tale of hired thugs of 
questionable nationality, prominent Kenyans, massive 
corruption, blackmail, threats, and narcotics trafficking 
schemes, reads like a script Hollywood would reject as 
unbelievable.  Unfortunately, the duelng accusations have 
sidetracked public attention from the seriousness of the 
underlying issues of corruption and democratic space. 
Indeed, each new revelation of wrong-doing is bound to shake 
the public's faith in both sides' stries and their 
leaderships. END COMMENT. 
ROWE