This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
Former Attorney General Amos Wako has been at the center of a US travel ban, announced by the American Government in 2009 and recently resuscitated. Speaking from the Media Centre in Parliament, Wako expressed his indifference to the ban, which also prevents his family from conducting business with the US.
“Hii ni kitu kidogo sana. It will not affect my work as a senator or as a commissioner,” he said in jest, adding that he hopes to get headlines the next day with a picture of a smiling attorney general emeritus.
Wako maintained that the ban has been in place since 2009 but has been revived by individuals with interests. He stated that he has no desire to travel to the US, citing his only trip there as a representative of the UN legal commission in 2009.
He further criticized US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo for including his family in the ban, saying that if he committed a crime, he should be punished alone. Wako insisted that his family was not involved in any case during his tenure as Attorney General.
According to Wako, the only allegation against him was the lack of prosecution of corruption cases, a matter he responded to. He challenged the American Government to prove their case but claimed that they were unable to do so in justification of the 2009 travel ban.
Wako demanded that Pompeo and his team make public any evidence they have against him, stating that since his retirement from the Executive, he has not been linked to any corruption case.
