This archive report was first published on 25 July 2019.
On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma delivered a consignment of irregularly imported gold worth Sh100 million to Tanzania President John Magufuli. The gold, which originated from Tanzania, was intercepted by Kenyan authorities at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport last year.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had ordered the goods to be repatriated to the country of origin. Upon receiving the gold, President Magufuli made a phone call to President Uhuru to confirm the goods had been delivered.
"Hello bro how are you…I was in a meeting shortly and my phone was not near," began President Uhuru after picking the call. President Magufuli acknowledged that he had received the gold, saying "My sister Monica has delivered the goods… I have checked and confirmed it is exact."
President Uhuru expressed his satisfaction that the goods had safely been delivered to Tanzania authorities, assuring President Magufuli of his commitment in ensuring that no illegal business activities succeed in Kenya. "…Ours is to ensure we give justice to our citizens by guarding the very resources that will facilitate the development of schools, roads and schools… unscrupulous businessmen have no space in our countries," said President Uhuru.
President Magufuli praised President Uhuru's commitment to transparency, saying that if leaders lacked integrity, they could have shared the consignment between themselves. He also promised to ensure wrongdoers from Kenya seeking asylum in Tanzania are repatriated back to the country.
Additionally, President Magufuli handed over Sh15 million that was nabbed together with the gold in February 2018. The cash and the gold were stolen on May 21, 2004, from Tanzania's NBC bank in Moshi. A prime suspect, Patrick Ayisi Ngoi, was arrested in Kenya with the wealth and was repatriated to Tanzania for prosecution in January this year.
