Kibaki reinstates Kosgey as Industrialisation minister

Henry Kosgey has been reinstated back to the cabinet after he was cleared of criminal charges relating to exemptions on aged car imports.

Kosgey has been out of office since January 2011 and resumes his duties as the Industrialisation minister.

A short dispatch from the Presidential Press Service (PPS) said the appointment took effect immediately.

The Tindiret Member of Parliament stepped aside from cabinet after he was accused of irregularly granting exemptions for the importation of 113 vehicles that exceeded the eight year requirement.

The law bars the importation of vehicles older than 8 years but the minister is allowed to waive the restriction after consulting the National Standards Council.

Mr Kosgey was tried before Nairobi principal magistrate Elijah Obaga and the charges were eventually dismissed by the High Court last month.

High Court judge Nicholas Ombija said the case was an abuse of the court. “This was a case of settling scores. The trial should not have proceeded. It was an error,” the judge said.

In January this year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) dropped charges of crimes against humanity during the 2008 post-election violence alongside former commissioner of police and retired Post Master General Major General Hussein Ali.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Eldoret North MP William Ruto and radio presenter Joshua Sang will stand trial at The Hague on April 10 and 11, 2013 arising from the violence that left more than 1,000 people dead.

emutai@ke.nationmedia.com