Kenya Stockholm Blog

Kenya Embassy In Secret Contact With Suspected Kenyan Rapist

Last week, the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm made a secret contact with a Kenyan national being held incommunicado for suspected rape and spread of HIV virus. This was the first contact that was made with the Kenyan since his arrest mid last month. The Kenyan has already been arraigned before the Court to face charges where he entered a plea of “Not guilty”.

Details about the nature of discussions between the Embassy and the Kenyan are still not known although a “KSB anchor” connected to the case informed the blog that the Embassy had come under pressure to report to the Kenyan government what was going on after the stories were published at KSB and the Swedish media.

It was on the strength of the official nature of the contact that the Embassy was allowed by the Swedish authorities to make the contact. Both the Kenyan’s wife, relatives, KSB and friends have been prevented from making contact with the Kenyan on grounds that “investigations are not yet complete”. Taking the Kenyan to court has given police more time to hold him under Swedish criminal Law related to “investigations”.

The Kenyan was accused of raping two white Swedish women and infecting them with HIV. Those who are conversant with the case believe that it is very complicated because the evidence is weak since the crimes were allegedly committed two years ago. The most difficult part of the case is proof that the Kenyan infected his alleged victims with HIV while questions linger as to why the crimes were reported two years after they allegedly happened.

A Kenyan blogger who identified the Kenyan by name soon after the story hit the news channels pulled down the story almost immediately when he noticed that the story was a “hot potato”.

For Africans in Sweden, the case is another example of growing racism and discrimination of Africans within the Swedish State system. The police were quick to speculate that the Kenyan might have infected “many Swedish girls” without a shred of evidence while the Swedish media rushed to brand the Kenyan “HIV man”, a tag reserved for suspects who have infected more than 100 Swedish women with the HIV virus.

Okoth Osewe 

July 16, 2007 - Posted by makozewe | News & Analysis