By Allan Olingo

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Kenya opted to deport Turkish National Harun Aydin, an ally of Deputy President William Ruto, instead of taking him to court at the request of Turkish authorities.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi revealed this in Mombasa during a parliamentary select committee on security over the circumstances that led to the deportation. This comes even as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu cancelled his planned trip to Nairobi this week following a scourge of domestic fires back home.

Mr Çavuşoğlu had been scheduled to attend a Joint Commission Co-operation meeting in Nairobi alongside Raychelle Omamo, before holding meetings with President Uhuru Kenyatta. Officials in Nairobi were quick to clarify the meeting and its postponement had nothing to do with the deportation of Mr Aydin.

Dr Matiang’i told parliementerians that the money laundering suspect was to be arraigned in a Nairobi court but “Turkish authorities requested to deal with him as per existing bilateral agreements.”

“We got in touch with security agencies in his country, who asked us to surrender him. We deported him on an understanding with Turkey, whom we have close relations with. Our security agencies share information. It was agreed mutually to deport him,” Dr Matiang’i said.

The CS added that Mr Aydin had been flagged by the intelligence of a neighbouring country and one of the people he was dealing with was arrested in another country while trying to bribe a minister.

Dr Matiang'i said Mr Aydin must have entered the country unnoticed through the borders or in a VIP chopper.

The committee led by its chairperson Peter Mwathi (Limuru MP), urged the CS to explain how Mr Aydin managed to enter the country unnoticed. "Is he an investor, which areas has he invested in... explain the allegations that the government apologised for the deportation if it really happened," said the MP.

Dr Matiang’i said the Turkish national was born in 1966 as per his documents.

"He applied for an investor work permit class G... The national applied for a work permit but in the document he provided he said he was working in the energy sector. We have since discovered he had a dummy contract," said the CS. The work permit was issued in June. He was supposed to fill them online.

"Because of the digitised system, we noticed in tracing his movements through his passport that he was in Sudan, Goma, Entebbe and Zanzibar," said Dr Matiang’i.

The minister said the foreigner was flagged by a neighbouring country after it was noticed that he was keeping company of people associated in money laundering.

Dr Matiang’i said state agencies noticed the foreigner's passport was not stamped. He said the government has not apologised because it was a mutual agreement and they were in constant communication with the Turkish government.

The director-general of Immigration Alexander Muteshi said his department will hold a meeting to seal loopholes and regulate entry and clearance of VIPs flying on private aircraft.

Nyakach MP Aduma Owuor challenged Dr Matiangi to name Mr Aydin's associates.