Waikenda: I had asthma attack

By NGARI KARIUKI and MARGARET KANINI

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Director of Immigration Jane Waikenda says she collapsed at the offices of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) following an “asthma attack”.

She refuted reports attributed to the commission that she had collapsed after being arrested at her office in Nyayo House, Nairobi and hauled to the EACC offices at Integrity Centre.

Ms Waikenda told journalists at Nairobi Hospital: “I had invited the anti-corruption officers to my office to carry out an audit to weed out corruption cartels in the Immigration department. The officers wanted access to files that had information on the issuance of permits and they were availed to them, all these allegations that I had collapsed while being arrested are false, they are just fabrications by those against me and my policy of zero tolerance on corruption. Corruption fights back and it fights back fiercely.”

Cartels

Waikenda said she suffered an asthma attack while accompanying the anti-corruption officers to their offices where she was going to aid them in investigations aimed at dismantling cartels at the Immigration department.

She vowed to fight corruption and continue “partnering” with the anti-corruption office to ensure vice never takes root in her department again.

“I will go to the anti-corruption offices first thing tomorrow morning to finish up with the investigations as I am determined to put a stop on corruption. Those against this fight on corruption are known and action will be taken against them once investigations are complete,” she said on Thursday night.

Since her appointment as the Director of Immigration, she has, among other things, ordered an audit on all staff members in the immigration department by the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission.

Close aides believe the allegation against her are the work of cartels unhappy with her work of rooting them out of the Immigration department.