Financial Times Journalist Exposes Kositany’s Claim Tying Uhuru to Eurobond Scandal
Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) chairman Caleb Kositany has been criticized by a Financial Times correspondent for allegedly disseminating false information under the guise of it being from the United Kingdom-based news organization.
Kositany uploaded an image of a Financial Times cover page bearing the headline “US Federal Reserve Opens Investigation Into Kenya’s 2014 $2.75 Billion (Ksh421 billion) Euro Bond” on November 30.
According to the article, the Euro Bond proceeds amounting to $117 million (Ksh17 billion) were purportedly transmitted to an account associated with Magana Kenyatta, the step-brother of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Demetri Sevastopulo, who initially attributed authorship to the article, has subsequently identified it as fraudulent, alarming, and deceptive.
With over thirteen years of experience as a correspondent specializing in the United States and China, Sevastopulo questioned on social media why a high-ranking official would disseminate false information.
“This is a complete fake. I did not write any story about Kenya. Mr Kositany, I hope you are more careful about how you run your airports and you should be ashamed for spreading such fake news,” the reporter chided Kositany.
Moreover, he asserted that his interactions with the Kenyatta family never revolved around the Euro Bond and that their encounters occurred when he was a child.
“When I was 2 years old I did “meet” Jomo Kenyatta on a beach in Mombasa, but I am pretty sure we did not talk about the Federal Reserve,” he added.
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The FT correspondent authored an article on November 28, 2023, titled “Senior CIA official published a pro-Palestine image on her Facebook page,” according to a spot check by PoliticalPulseChat.
In the past, Kenya’s ability to repay its external debt, including the Eurobond that is scheduled to mature in June 2024, has been a source of concern.
However, President William Ruto has maintained a steadfast stance against his administration defaulting on external loans, stating that the nation will establish the necessary infrastructure to secure the necessary financing.
Ruto confirmed in his State of the Nation Address to Parliament that the nation would remit the initial installment of Eurobond loans, amounting to Ksh500 billion, in December.
Nevertheless, his administration has persistently attributed the economic collapse to Uhuru’s regime, accusations that the former president refuted.
“I am no longer scared. We have been threatened and told a lot of things. Each time someone fails in their mandate, they blame the previous government. I am used to the blame and life continues,” Uhuru stated on Sunday, November 19, while speaking at a church service in Mwingi, Kitui County.
Financial Times Journalist Exposes Kositany’s Claim Tying Uhuru to Eurobond Scandal
