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Senator Mwaura narrates his troubles with Secret Service agents in New York

By Hilary Kimuyu September 30th, 2019 2 min read

Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura has narrated how he was allegedly harassed by the United States Secret Service agents at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

In a long post on his Facebook page, Senator Mwaura claims that he was unfairly treated by the officers on three different occasions for ‘being an albino.’

The incident, Mwaura claims, happened last Wednesday during a peace event organized by the Kenyan Permanent Mission in New York – where Mwaura is part of Kenyan delegation to the 74th session of the UN General Assembly – and the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“I get into the building and check-in at the security. I do the usual stuff of emptying my pockets, then I go through the machine and they do a body search. Then I’m told to step aside and I am kept waiting for over 30 minutes. The Secret Service agents ask for my ID and by this time, they have picked my entry card,” Mwaura narrates.

“I give them my national ID and NHIF card as further proof of my identity. They tell me that they are looking for someone who fits my description and then they go like, ‘the photo is of the same person but the names don’t match’,” he goes on.

Mwaura says he then offered to exit the premises but the officers continued to hold him until Nairobi Senator Johnston Sakaja confirmed his identity.

In a separate incident, Mwaura said he was treated in a similar manner when he went to meet President Uhuru Kenyatta and other leaders at Hotel Latte.

“The Secret Service takes my card again while others start taking photos of me secretly with their phones. When I see them, I say a cheeky hi to them.

ACCESS DENIED

“My colleagues have to explain again that I am a senator from Kenya when one of them asks ‘who is this guy?’ As if that is not enough, a Secret Service agent follows us up into the lift while looking at me suspiciously,” Mwaura explained.

Mwaura says he was also temporarily denied access to his hotel room by security officers despite providing his UN accreditation.

“I couldn’t take it anymore!!! I reminded the Secret Service agent that he was a person of color and that I was a senator from Kenya. He was rude to ask me if I was a US senator. I told him he wasn’t the most important security agent and that he should step aside”

“Anyway, I was allowed in after a State House official found me at the entrance and explained to them that I am a senator from Kenya,” he concluded.

Mwaura indicated that US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter apologized after he learned of the incidence.