This archive report was first published on 30 September 2019.
Published on September 30, 2019, Senator Isaac Mwaura, a nominated Kenyan senator, has come forward with allegations of harassment by United States Secret Service officers at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
According to Mwaura, he was unfairly treated by the officers on three separate occasions, with the agents citing his appearance as the reason for the mistreatment.
‘I get into the building and check-in at the security. I do the usual stuff of emptying my pockets, then I go through the machine and they do a body search. Then I’m told to step aside and I am kept waiting for over 30 minutes. The Secret Service agents ask for my ID and by this time, they have picked my entry card,’ Mwaura wrote in a social media post.
He further alleged that the agents told him they were looking for someone who fit his description, but the names on the ID and entry card did not match.
Similar incidents reportedly occurred when Mwaura attended a meeting with President Kenyatta and other leaders at Hotel Latte, where he was subjected to further scrutiny by the Secret Service agents.
‘The Secret Service takes my card again while others start taking photos of me secretly with their phones. When I see them, I say a cheeky hi to them,’ Mwaura explained.
He also claimed that he was temporarily denied access to his hotel room by security officers despite providing his UN accreditation.
US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter reportedly apologized to Mwaura after learning of the incidents.
