WND senior staff writer Jerry Corsi |
NAIROBI, Kenya – The government of Kenya is holding WND senior staff reporter Jerome Corsi in custody at immigration headquarters after police picked him up at his hotel just prior to a scheduled news conference in which he planned to announce the findings of his investigation into Barack Obama’s connections in the country.
Corsi, the author of the No. 1 best-selling book “The Obama Nation,” was picked up by authorities at his hotel at 9:45 a.m. and detained at Nyayo House, the provincial headquarters for Nairobi.
“Just as we were about to start the 10 a.m. press conference at the Grand Regency Hotel in Nairobi, Kenyan immigration approached us and detained us,” Corsi told WND by telephone this morning. “Tim Bueler, my publicist, and I are now in the immigration offices, with our passports taken. The immigration officer told the press, ‘There is no problem, and Dr. Corsi is a friend of Kenya.'”
“There are unconfirmed reports from on the ground in Nairobi that Jerome Corsi and his traveling partner and publicist, Tim Bueler, have left Kenya,” said Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND who was in touch with Corsi by telephone and email until 9:30 a.m. Eastern today. “However, we have not been able to reach either Corsi or Bueler for several hours, and we are concerned. Officials in Kenya have not been responsive to our requests for information. We also hear unconfirmed reports from the government claiming it has ‘deported’ Corsi. Since Corsi was scheduled to leave the country today, this would seem to be a strange action from a government that was well aware of Corsi’s presence, his travels and his activities in the country for the last week.”
Corsi had extensive meetings with top Kenyan officials upon his arrival. His visit and his activities during his stay have been well-known to authorities at the highest levels.
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A senior immigration official in charge of investigations, Carlos Maluta was quoted by the Associated Press as saying: “We still haven’t decided what to do with him.”
Despite reports elsewhere to the contrary, Corsi has not been arrested or charged with any offense.
An official with the Embassy of Kenya in Washington said he was unaware of Corsi’s detention. The Ministry of Immigration in Nairobi could not be reached for comment. WND tried again, later, to contact a spokesman for the embassy and was told by a receptionist the official word is that Corsi was not detained. “He’s enjoying his holiday in Kenya,” she said.
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Obama has a long history of connections in Kenya, where his father worked as a government economist. Corsi documented this history in his book and went to Kenya to find answers to lingering questions – particularly about the links between the presidential candidate and Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Corsi had promised a news conference today that would “expose details of deep secret ties between U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and a section of Kenya government leaders, their connection to certain sectoral groups in Kenya and subsequent plot to be executed in Kenya should Senator Obama win the American presidency.”
Meanwhile, the management of the hotel where Corsi was scheduled to hold the press conference has repudiated its plans to provide the facility.
In a press release, the hotel said: “We would like to assure our business partners and the public at large that Laico Regency Hotel is a law-abiding institution and does not condone any smear campaigns. The management cannot allow such activities to take place.”
Sen. Barack Obama with Raila Odinga |
Corsi told WND he has been assured he will be released soon. He had planned to leave the country tomorrow, arriving in London first and the U.S. Friday.
A hotel worker in Nairobi told Reuters Corsi was picked up as soon as he walked into the hotel for the scheduled press conference: “He was walking in and then some immigration officers who were following him snatched him. It happened so fast, they just vanished with him.”
“Obama is revered in Kenya for his paternal roots here and as a flagbearer for Africa on the international stage,” explained the Reuters dispatch.
Kenyan TV station KTN said Corsi may be sent home due to lack of a work permit. However, Corsi met with top officials in Nairobi earlier this week explaining in detail the purpose of his visit and sharing copies of his news releases and books.
Corsi told WND Editor Joseph Farah by telephone that Kenyan authorities claimed they were holding him because the immigration forms his party filled out for customs had been lost.
Corsi was set to show Obama and Odinga have been in direct contact since the senator’s visit to Kenya in 2006. He was to claim Obama advised Odinga on campaign strategy and helped him raise money in the U.S. for the Kenya presidential campaign.
Corsi was to report Odinga’s 2007 presidential campaign strategy called for exploiting anti-Kikuyu tribal sentiments, claiming victory and charging voter fraud even if the campaign knew the election had been legitimately lost. Odinga, Corsi said, also was willing to fan the flames of ethnic tribal tensions and use violence as a last resort by calling for mass action that led to the destruction of properties, injuries, loss of life and the displacement of over 500,000 Kenyans. The purpose was to compel the Electoral Commission of Kenya to declare him the winner or enable him to declare himself the winner by force.
Even though Odinga has not fulfilled his campaign promises to the Muslims who voted for him, he continues to cause concern among Kenyans because he has not declared his position on Shariah law, Corsi said.
Corsi said Obama remained in active phone contact with Odinga through the New Hampshire Democratic Party primary in January. The Illinois senator continued to support Odinga, he said, turning a blind eye to an agreement signed with Muslims and the post-election violence instigated as part of the campaign strategy.
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