Kenya Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetang’ula appears to have misled a parliamentary committee watch dog on the buying of a building that houses Kenya’s embassy in Japan.

Former Kenyan ambassador to Japan Dennis Awori said yesterday that Kenya lost Ksh1billion in the deal when he appeared before the committee on Defence and Foreign Relations. Former envoy added that he never chaired an evaluation meeting that turned down a “better” land offer from the Japanese government as was earlier testified by the minister.

The committee heard that the Kenyan taxpayers lost the money when the ministry decided to buy the current premises measuring about 1,100 square metres. This was after an evaluation team sent by the Kenyan government rejected an offer of a 700-square metre plot that had been identified by the envoy, with the assistance of the vice-chairperson of Africa-Japan parliamentary League, Senator Yano, who is known for his aggressiveness in pushing for African interests.

Over Ksh1.5 billion was paid for the land on which stands a concrete chancery on a 698-square metre and a wooden house of 402 square metres. However, Mr. Awori said the premises should not have been bought for more than Ksh500 million