BY SAM ALFAN.
The High Court has barred the police from arresting and charging a Kenya Airports Authority employee who filmed the arrival of China Southern airline with 239 Chinese.
Justice Weldon Korir also lifted the suspension of Gire Ali from employment, pending the determination of his case.
The KQ assistant security officer moved to court seeking orders restraining anti-terrorism police and the Director of Public Prosecution from arresting and charging over the video he recorded on February 26.
Through lawyer Danstan Omari, Ali said he was apprehensive that the police would prefer charges against him after recorded the passengers disembarking from the plane.
He said while in his line of duty, he witnessed the landing of the aircraft at the JKIA, which was contrary to communications by Kenya Airways that the flights from China had been suspended from landing in Kenya due to the outbreak of Corona Virus.
According to Ali, he left work at 9:30 AM and went for a two days rest but on the same day, between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM he received a call from unknown persons being informed that he was urgently needed for questioning at the Kenya Airways corporate investigations offices.
He failed to show up since they never indicated the reasons for the summons nor the subject of the questioning. He later received a call indicating that if he failed to show up by 6:00pm, they would go for him since they had all the details regarding his location.
“Out of fear for his life and caution, I rushed to Kahawa Wendani police station, where I reported the matter and requested to be put into safe custody since my life was in danger,” said Ali.
However, the policemen rejected his request but gave him their contacts, in case of anything arose.
Ali said he later went to corporate investigations offices where he was questioned from 11am to 5pm and during the questioning he was being threatened, especially by Head of Corporate Security, Kenya Airways Bernard Oganga.
He said he was accused of being a terrorist and the authority would involve the anti-terrorism police over the matter.
He says his duties as an Assistant Security Agent include providing security to various aircrafts as per theaAirline, protection of the aircraft, passengers, and crew, cargo, courier and company assets.
Ali said after about 30 minutes or more after the plane landed, he saw five Chinese nationals disembarking.
“They had Kenya Airports Authority reflectors on and they did not identify themselves that they were from the Chinese Media House. However, they did not have cameras but instead used their mobile phones to take videos of the airplane and photos as well. They also accessed the aircraft cabin,” he narrates.
He says officials at the airport further went ahead to inform him that they had surveillance on him and that they knew where he was on the February 26 2020 and that they are aware of his movements by use of UFED analyzer and cellebrite analytics which are operational techniques for spying used by Security Agencies (mobile forensic and digital intelligence).
