Kenya’s Intel Services May Have Killed Businessman over Row with Somalia

Kenya

NAIROBI (Somaliguardian) – Kenya’s intelligence services may have been behind the murder of Somali-American businessman Bashir Mohamed Mohamud over row with Somalia, relatives and close friends said on Tuesday.

It has come after reports by Kenyan local media citing sources within the security forces that Bashir was on the intelligence system radar for receiving and sending huge sums of money to Somalia and links with Mogadishu-based federal government.

Kenyan government officials said he had received millions of shillings from a top Somali government official before he channeled it back to various different banks, Nairobi-based The Star newspaper has reported on Monday.

The money, according to Kenyan officials, was sometimes moved through foreign accounts before ending up in Mogadishu, which raised suspicions.

One of his close relatives said he was tortured and strangled to death as postmortem findings revealed on Monday.

Speaking to Somaliguardian on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity, he stressed that Bashir’s toenails had been pulled out and many signs of torture, including deep cuts, bruises and burn marks were seen on his body.

“Bashir’s family believes Kenya’s intelligence services may have killed the son, but the motive is yet unclear” he said.

“Family requested an inquest probe to establish circumstances of his death and an FBI agent is participating in the investigation.”

A close friend of Bashir Mohamed and businessman in Nairobi said there are clear indications that Kenya’s intelligence services, who had earlier secretly killed other Somali businesspeople, had been behind the murder for close family ties he had with officials at outgoing president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s palace in Mogadishu.

Unnamed Kenyan government source told The Star ‘there was a feeling he was channeling money to Mogadishu, which is technically at war with Kenya”. “It was a concern,” the source added.

The 36-year old, who was originally from Balad-hawo before relocating to the United States, was related to senior Somali government officials and Kenyan security officials were quoted by local media as saying that Bashir had been funding enemy.

Bashir, structural engineer and proprietor of Infinity Developers based in Nairobi went missing after leaving Miale Lounge in Lavington, Nairobi, where he spent time with friends during Eid festivities.

His body was found dumped on the banks of River Nyamindi, in Kiringyaga county on May 16, three days after he had gone missing.

Relations between Kenya and Somalia have soured over the past years over Nairobi’s alleged meddling in Mogadishu’s internal affairs, a charge the government of Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta has denied.

Kenyan government officials have not publicly spoken about reports that he may have been killed by intelligence services since he was in its radar for so long and efforts to address concerns by family that he was killed for being related to Somali government officials have yet to gather pace.

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