RENEWED interest on the runaway fugitive and alleged mastermind of the Rwanda 1994 genocide, Felicien Kabuga, hit the Kenya Security networks Saturday morning when it was reported that he had been arrested in upmarket Nairobi and only half an hour later police sources changed the story.

In particular a senior police source confirmed the development saying that despite his rank he had yet to see the suspect in custody, adding a cruel twist to the matter.

In November 2004, he was briefly arrested and locked up at Kilimani Police Station, before being let free after high level intervention.
By the time of going to press police were confirming that the man in custody was merely a former aide of Kabuga.

No less a person than Kenya's Attorney General Amos Wako admitted in an interview recently that Kabuga had escaped the police dragnet four times before asserting, "he can run but he cannot hide we will catch up with him."

The renewed interest on Kabuga returns to Kenya after the High Court Tuesday froze his assets in Kenya including banking of rent from his Nairobi Spanish Villa's that were being banked in a Belgium account owned by the wife.

Kabuga, who has been on the run for the last twelve years, is on 24 hour armed guard has changed houses in Nairobi at least four times, a local Interpol police officer and one of the police constables who were brave to arrest the fugitive with a $5 million (Shs.375m) bounty on his head told Africanews.com.

Queried on the same issue in a live Press Briefing Alfred Mutua agreed that " the government cannot be a hundred percent sure that Kabuga is not in the country."

"We are however determined to arrest him and bring him to justice the whole world is looking for him, and we are part of that effort anyone with information should give it to us," Mutua answered a question on if the government was aware of Kabuga's whereabouts in the country.

The Rwandese parliament on its part says the continued presence of the most wanted Rwandan Genocide fugitive Félicien Kabuga in Kenya seriously strains the two countries' relations.

A Member of Parliament, Henrietta Mukamurangwa,is on record saying that Rwanda has made concerted efforts to make alliances with the Kenyan leadership but they were being hamphered by issue of Kabuga.

CHERUIYOT'S DEFENCE

"I want to categorically deny these allegations. They are malicious and are intended to cause disaffection," Cheruiyot said.

He said this was smear propaganda by foreign a news agencies. He added that he has already instituted legal proceedings against the agencies.

Cheruiyot said when word went round that Kabuga was in Kenya, he instructed the then Commissioner of Police Philemon Abongo to investigate and take the necessary action.

Cheruiyot at the time said at no given time had he met Kabuga as alleged by the US investigators.

Cheruiyot said he was capable of defending himself if called upon to do so.

BACKGROUND

Kabuga is believed to have used his resources to buy materials for the killings in Rwanda.
The State Department estimates that 800,000 Rwandans, mostly Tutsis, died at the hands of Hutu militants in a 100-day period in 1994.

The Rwandan war crimes tribunal, based in Arusha, Tanzania, is seeking Kabuga and a number of other fugitives.

The 1998 indictment by ICTR indicates that Kabuga was the main supporter and financier of the Interahamwe militia, responsible for the 1994 Genocide that claimed over a million lives.

Though the United States has offered a US$5m bounty on his head, Kabuga has managed to elude capture by the ICTR and other security agencies for 12 years.