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Austrian who is facing accusations of racial abuse flees Kenya


A 49-year-old Austrian national, who has been accused of racial and physical abuse on employees at the Thiba Dam in Kirinyaga, has fled the country.

Hinteregger Jurgen, had on Saturday been grilled by detectives from the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) at Kirinyaga Police Station after workers recorded statement against him.

Police on Monday confirmed that the Austrian had flown out of the country and they are now working with Interpol to get hold of him.

Stragbag International, the company Jurgen worked for, also confirmed that the said individual had left Kenya.

ARRESTED

Jurgen was arrested and grilled on Saturday after six people accused him of verbal and physical abuse of Kenyan workers at the Thiba Dam construction site.

The labourers, through their union representative David Ndanya, claimed that Jurgen often referred to them as “bushmen and idiots” and went as far as physically abusing some of them.

In 2017 Malawi Immigration Department deported Jurgen for racially abusing a Malawian worker.

DEPORTATION

Jurgen worked as workshop manager at Strabag International, a German company where he allegedly called a driver, Charles Devina, a monkey after he got tyres of a vehicle belonging to the company scratched.

It is after that deportation from Malawi that Jurgen landed in Kenya

The labourers through their union representative David Ndanya, claimed that Jurgen mostly referred to them as “bushmen and Idiots” and physically abused some of them.

The workers, who recorded statements at Kiayaga Police Station, said that Jurgen always got away with the abuse by threatening to sack anyone who dared to speak out or report the matter to the police.