This archive report was first published on 15 August 2019.
On December 1, 2016, Baktash Akasha Abdalla appeared at the Mombasa Law Courts during a hearing on extradition to the United States over drug-related offences.
As part of a plea bargain, Baktash and his brother Ibrahim Akasha confessed to bribing officials in Kenya, Tanzania, and other countries to facilitate their drug trafficking operations.
A senior government official stated that a prominent city lawyer had ferried bribes to several individuals in the criminal justice system to ensure the Akasha brothers never set foot in an American court over drug trafficking charges.
The Akasha brothers are accused of using extreme violence, murder, and bribery to protect their turf and planned the murder of a South African gangster, Pinky, to demonstrate their willingness to go to great lengths to become the biggest drug peddlers in the region.
Following the Akasha brothers' plea bargain, the US government has informed the Kenyan government of its intention to charge several high-ranking officials, including the prominent lawyer, in US courts over drug-related charges.
These extraditions could be made as early as next month once American and Kenyan investigators tie up the loose ends on evidence.
Meanwhile, Kenyan law enforcement agencies are preparing to seek international assistance to have tycoons Humphrey Kariuki and Ali Punjani extradited to Kenya to face charges of tax evasion and drug trafficking, respectively.
