Who is Arthur Olwal and Why Was He Using Police Aircraft During #GarissaAttack?

The commandant of Kenya Police Airwing is on the spot as details emerge that a regional arms dealer was using a Kenya Police aircraft while the GSU Recce squad commandos were stranded in Nairobi for 5 hours without transport.

While the Inspector general of Police is being given reports that the plane went to collect relatives of Rogers Mbithi (Airwing Commandant), details emerge that the plane was actually being used to run errands for one Arthur Olwal who is known to be a close relative of retired Lieutenant General Daniel Ishmael Opande.

The plane, a police Cessna 208B registration 5Y-POL flew to Mombasa in a private mission under Arthur Olwal.

Arthur, through his company called Omnex Trading, is a known supplier of spare parts to the Kenya Police Airwing. The company operates from the 10th floor of NSSF owned Bruce House. The company was once mentioned in the inquiry into the death of Ministers George Saitoti and Joshua Orwa Ojode as the supplier of a replacement rotor blade system for a grounded Mi-17s which had only two flight-hours left of its lifetime. The spare part was for plane registration number 5Y-EDM and was supplied at a cost of Sh13 million.

Interior Ministry spokesman, Mwenda Njoka, even confirmed the purchase to Daily Nation, adding that there was a tax fee of Sh 3million which was paid to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Njoka also claimed that the established cartels and networks at the airwing are not making it efficient.

The lease to Arthur Olwal was verbally authorised by the commandant but was not documented in the authorisation sheet as required. This has left staff at the Kenya Police Airwing based at Wilson Airport confused and demanding that their bosses do things in the right manner.

In July 2014, one of the helicopters made an emergency landing in Eldama Ravine while Deputy President William Ruto was on board. Others on board theRussian made Mi-17 helicopter were Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi, Kinango MP Gonzi Rai, Baringo Central MP Sammy Mwaita, Hellen Sambili, William Cheptumo, Baringo County Women Representative Grace Kiptui and Mosses Lessonet of Eldama Ravine.

While the Inspector General is being told that the helicopter was on an instruction flight, details have emerged about the mysterious flight to Mombasa. Now the airwing boss Rogers Mbithi has decided to take blame claiming that the flight went to pick his daughter-in-law and child from Mombasa.

Senior Superintendent James Kabo and an Inspector Mutai piloted the aircraft with registration 5Y-POL. The People Daily and Daily Nation knows that the helicopter was being unlawfully used but they have refused to reveal the details as they might embarrass senior Office of the President officials.

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