Wanjala back from India

Former assistant minister Raphael Wanjala arrived back home on Sunday from India where he was arrested on currency charges.

A jovial Mr Wanjala flew in via Uganda on a Kenya Airways flight at about 5pm and was met by family and friends. 

“I am so happy to be back home after a long time,” he told waiting journalists at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. “I will address the media later because of the ‘climate change’ and I am tired. I am not feeling well because of the change of weather.”

The former Budalang’i MP said Ms Joyce Akinyi, with whom he had been arrested in India, was in Uganda and was due to travel by road on Sunday evening.

The two travelled to India via Entebbe, Uganda, last year and were arrested at Indra Gandhi International Airport for carrying large sums of money without declaring at the point of entry as required by the law.

Mr Wanjala and Ms Akinyi had between them $100,000 (Sh8 million) in cash. They were later released on bail but remained in India until now.

Indian law demands that cash worth more than $5,000 (Sh 400,000) be declared at the airport and passengers obtain a currency declaration certificate.

Kenyan deputy head of mission in India, Mr Elphas Barine, earlier on Sunday told the Nation that Mr Wanjala and Ms Akinyi left India on Friday afternoon.

He said they obtained court clearance to travel, adding: “The position is that we made arrangements for them to travel on Friday.”