Kenyan Tech Engineer, Zak Muriuki, Died in Ethiopian Jail
Listers Saddest news. It also appears that there are three more Kenyan ICT Practitioners who are still languishing in prison in Ethiopia. The main charge is that they are accused of installing communication equipment without a license. Mugo, was arrested with Zak (may the almighty rest his soul in peace) over a year ago and Osborne Otinda with his colleague Maxwell Odhiambo (according to today's Nation, Page 3) were arrested in October 2014 and are still in jail. Excerpts:- (Addis Standard) – The body of a Kenyan engineer who died while in an Ethiopian prison has arrived home on Thursday Dec. 11th. Zak Muriuki, a father of two girls (pictured) and a tech engineer by profession, arrived in Ethiopia nearly two years ago on January 9, 2015, according to information obtained by Addis Standard. He was arrested on January 10 along with another Kenyan, Jadrick Mugo, who is still in prison. Read on:- http://www.ayyaantuu.net/kenyan-tech-engineer-zak-muriuki/ It also appears that the government is doing what it can to get the Kenyans released. Ali Hussein Principal Hussein & Associates +254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi Sent from my iPad
Hi Ali, I read the same and i must say it is terrible, the worst bit is that the Kenyan Ambassador could not be reached to help resolve the problem if this is true somebody needs to go home, we cannot have public servants who cannot help the Kenyan public , it is the epitome of arrogance if there is truth in it. It is bad in this day and age for public servants to ignore requests from the public, anyone who know this issue well should enlighten us but as an ICT community we must say no to the way this issue appears to be handled in a pedestrian manner with the same breath that we opposed the ICT bill. We need to join hands and petition the government on this matter. Justice be our shield and defender May we dwell in unity, Peace and liberty, Plenty be found within our borders Regards On 12/17/16, Ali Hussein via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
-- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
What I find most disgusting in this case is that they appear to have been totally abandoned by their employer! It is easy to blame 'serikali', but the employer should have been on the ground with competent lawyers etc. to resolve this - *not* "we couldn't find the ambassador" for 2 years!! RIP Zak. On 17/12/2016, Barrack Otieno via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
-- Tony White
Tony Very good point. Infact I wonder how in the first place did this company or companies accept to do work in a country like Ethiopia without ensuring they have ALL the relevant licenses and government approvals. We all know Ethiopia is one of the most oppressive countries in the world right now. Chasing dollars without enduring you are on the right side of the law is simply criminal. They ought to be charged for reckless endangerment of their employees' lives. Ali Hussein Principal Hussein & Associates +254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi Sent from my iPad
What I can say for sure is that the government could have, and more importantly now, could do much to end the suffering of these families. The least they can do is to compel the Ethiopian authorities to formally charge all the suspects (others such as Maxwell Ochieng and Oscar Otindo have been there for much longer than Jedrick Mugo and the Late Zak Muriuki. It was Zak who found a way to communicate to their families of their whereabouts and shared the funds and food channeled to him by the company and family, plus many others from other African countries. He also took on the role of their 'protector' while in prison). It is a great injustice to be continuously kept in remand on some of the flimsiest reasons ever given in a court of law. Zak's last straw was when the Judges indicated that the ruling was ready but it was in a handwritten format and needed to be typed. This was on Oct 27th and the new ruling date was set to January. He came from very high spirits and quickly went into depression. This has always been the narrative with the court. I was there during the August hearing and they said that they needed to go on leave thus pushing it to the Oct date. All this time wives and children and families were without their loved ones - and with no officially permitted visits. Finally, Zak was my colleague of many years. As for the company I will ask you to listen very carefully on what these families themselves are saying. What I know is that these two companies have spent MILLIONS of shillings going back and forth to Addis and everywhere else they can to find a solution, legal fees, school and family upkeep fees aside to the salaries being paid as usual. There has been a team of lawyers both in Ethiopia and Kenya. Tomorrow the 19th is Zak's memorial service at the Lutheran Church on Nyerere Rd, starting at 10 AM (see attached map for directions). Afterwards we have also planned a peaceful march to light candles at the Ethiopian embassy - as many as the days that they held him without any charge. (PS: The police have been duly notified). Anyone that has a means to facilitate that the rest in prison are given a fair trial, please side bar. RIP brother Zak. Kevin On 18 December 2016 at 08:09, Ali Hussein via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Hi Kevin, Many thanks for this email, we empathize with the families of the Kenyan techies. I also want to thank Mr. Esuchi for responding even though it appears to be a public relations exercise. We hope that this matter is treated with the seriousness it deserves so that our Kenyan colleagues can be released otherwise it will reverse our efforts to promote regional business ties and interrogation. We have seen similar cases in South Sudan as well and it is high time the government intervenes as it did with regard to the cases in Saudi Arabia. Please keep us updated Kevin so that we can have the correct picture on what is happening. Regards Regards On 12/19/16, Kevin Kamonye via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
-- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
That said, I don't expect an employer doing his normal duties, to also be expected to identify all the legal hurdles in a foreign country, which are the responsibility of the companies employing our people. There is a huge failure on the part of the Ministry of foreign affairs, Ministry of ICT, and Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. All these over bloated offices and they cannot pull a simple diplomatic mission of negotiating the release of hard working expatriates. Kenyans should not languish abroad for 2 years for crimes they did not commit. This is a caution to the government in power, the voters are watching keenly. ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya twitter.com/lordmwesh On 19 December 2016 at 15:32, Barrack Otieno via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
So sad ...why is Ethiopian government treating our these people this way until one of the end up dying in prison? When will this nation know the importance of press freedom? We should join hands and advocate for the release of our dear brothers who are still held in prison.... On Mon, Dec 19, 2016 at 6:05 PM, Mwendwa Kivuva via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
My condolences to Zak & Family. This has been very *consistent* from the Ethiopian government; they have attacked our border towns, police posts not once, twice, thrice.... And now, a Kenyan dies in their jails and yet, nothing is said, not even a whimper of protest! Question is, at which point and over what number of Kenyan lives lost, does it necessitate an appropriate & proportionate response from the Government? Unfortunately, and as history has shown, we have scant respect for lives in this country! Anyone remembers the over 40 Police officers killed by bandits in a single day? Police officers! Representing the State! And yet some bandits made a mockery of them. How many of those bandits were ever brought to justice? If GoK can't go after those directly challenging its authority, good luck unto you if you expect the same GoK to come and rescue an 'ordinary' Kenyan! Tragic. On Mon, Dec 19, 2016 at 6:46 PM, Margaret Favour via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
-- *Regards,* *Wait**haka Ngigi* Chief Executive Officer | Alliance Technologies | MCK Nairobi Synod Building T +254 20 525 0750 |Office Mobile: +254 716 201061 | M +254 737 811 000 www.at.co.ke
My heartfelt condolences to the family of Zak. Kind Regards Poncelet On 19 December 2016 at 16:30, Ngigi Waithaka via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
-- Poncelet O. Ileleji MBCS Coordinator The Gambia YMCAs Computer Training Centre & Digital Studio MDI Road Kanifing South P. O. Box 421 Banjul The Gambia, West Africa Tel: (220) 4370240 Fax:(220) 4390793 Cell:(220) 9912508 Skype: pons_utd *www.ymca.gm <http://www.ymca.gm>http://jokkolabs.net/en/ <http://jokkolabs.net/en/>www.waigf.org <http://www.waigf.org>www,insistglobal.com <http://www.itag.gm>www.npoc.org <http://www.npoc.org>http://www.wsa-mobile.org/node/753 <http://www.wsa-mobile.org/node/753>*www.diplointernetgovernance.org
Please spare some time to read and sign the below petition. Any further suggestions are welcome. https://www.change.org/p/the-federal-government-of-ethiopia-release-kenyan-e... Kevin On 19 December 2016 at 19:30, Ngigi Waithaka via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Apologies for the blank post. Having worked in neighboring countries on assignment i find it is never easy working out of the country. In most local companies rules are thrown out of the window in favor of higher profits. Some of them even eat into per diems of staff members and house them in a he cheapest accommodations possible. Zak was just trying to make an honest living. It is the duty of the senior manager and board of the company that sent him to Ethiopia without appropriate permission and legal representation to be accountable. Now that Zak is gone the company needs to be sued under humanitarian grounds to generously compensate the family of Zack. The company should also be forced to lodge a case with the Ethiopian Government to pay any liable penalties through violation of laws of the country and release the workers still in jail. They must send lawyers immediately and be named and shamed if not. What are the so called humanitarian NGOs doing? They should put pressure on this draconian company and ensure they act for this is unacceptable. Ready to sign any petitions necessary for this is unacceptable. Thank you, Best regards, Athar Ahmad Bhatti On Mon, Dec 19, 2016 at 11:26 PM +0300, "Athar Ahmad Bhatti" <atharab@gmail.com> wrote:
Many moons later, Zack Muriuki's colleagues have been released. Three Kenyans who had been jailed in Ethiopia for alleged telecommunication fraud were finally released and handed over to the Kenyan authorities after spending three years in Kalit Maximum Prison. https://citizentv.co.ke/news/three-kenyans-jailed-in-ethiopia-finally-releas... Il lunedì 19 dicembre 2016, Athar Ahmad Bhatti via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> ha scritto:
-- Grace Mutung'u Skype: gracebomu @Bomu PGP ID : 0x33A3450F
Hi Grace, Quite an unfortunate incident, it is great that they were released. Regards On Tue, 19 Jun 2018 05:39 Grace Bomu via kictanet, < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
What did they actually do though? On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 8:38 AM, Barrack Otieno via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
-- Regards, Mark Mwangi
@Mark, They were VSAT Engineers. I suppose they went to setup VSAT connectivity for a client, not knowing that in Ethiopia, such is NOT allowed (is illegal), because of the tight controls the govt has on Telecommunications. That led to their incarceration, and the saga... On 19 June 2018 at 16:46, Mark Mwangi via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
-- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 "Oh, the cruft."
Kevin We are preying for Zak's soul and for his family. We are also praying and petitioning the Government to do more to free the remaining Kenyans in Ethiopian jails. Ali Hussein Principal Hussein & Associates +254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi Sent from my iPad
Hi Tony, Knowing the prevailing situation in Ethiopia what would 'competent' lawyers do? If you got the version i read clearly there was a reason for serikalis involvement, Kenya and Ethiopia are friendly countries and this should have been resolved easily, i insist that if the family and friends sought government help and did not get it, it was wrong and we should not defend it or pass the ball, what is diplomacy if not to defend the interests of ones country including the citizenry? I am sure if it was a citizen from a country in the global North where diplomacy is understood this would not have happened. Let us not condone mediocricy in public service. Regards On Dec 18, 2016 7:28 AM, "Tony White via kictanet" < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Blessed Sunday, Please find attached the Government's position on the issue which has been duly shared with members of the press to offer clarity. The employer's continued silence has derailed the judicial process and Government efforts. Issue does indeed ignite passions and is unfortunate, however, let's remain objective and cognizant that the Government does have its citizenry's best interest both locally and in foreign countries. Regards, *Eshuchi Richard* On 18 Dec 2016 9:15 a.m., "Barrack Otieno via kictanet" < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Richard Thanks for this update. The company is known. This business of us pussyfooting around issues need to stop. If they are unwilling to come forward they need to be arrested forthwith so that they can shed light on this. Or do we have to wait for Mugo and two other Kenyans to also die? Let's be circumspect on these issues and not throw blame all over the place. The company is definitely liable on this. But so is the government. Why issue a statement now when someone has died? Why not have told the public what it was doing one year ago? Ali Hussein Principal Hussein & Associates +254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi Sent from my iPad
This reminds me of "Banged up abroad", My big question is: was what they were doing within the laws of the land? Was the parent company licensed to provide satellite Internet services in Ethiopia? was there breach of protocol in the execution of this? If they were there illegally, what more should we expect the government to do? Bail them out? If they were there legally, what the heck is the government doing to resolve it. In other matters, Do we have a foreign relations policy? especially with our Neighbours. Im hearing lots of non tarrif barriers to trading even in the East African block. On Sun, Dec 18, 2016 at 10:35 AM, Eshuchi Richard via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
-- Regards, Collins Areba, Kilifi, Kenya. Tel: +*254 707 750 788 */ *0731534124* Twitter: @arebacollins. Skype: arebacollins
participants (15)
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Ali Hussein -
Athar Ahmad Bhatti -
Baiju Shah -
Barrack Otieno -
Collins Areba -
Eshuchi Richard -
Grace Bomu -
Kevin Kamonye -
Margaret Favour -
Mark Mwangi -
Mwendwa Kivuva -
Ngigi Waithaka -
Odhiambo Washington -
Poncelet Ileleji -
Tony White