Conspiracy theories fly after Mkono poisoned in London

Musoma Rural MP Nimrod Mkono was poisoned while he was on a parliamentary trip to London, The Citizen has learnt. Mr Mkono, who is also a prominent lawyer, fell ill suddenly in London. His doctors said he had been given poison that was meant to destroy his kidneys within 72 hours. “It was exactly two days after arriving in London and I collapsed as I attended to the matters that took me there,” he told The Citizen. “I fell unconscious and lost my memory for about six hours.” Mr Mkono is reported to have suddenly started sweating profusely before he collapsed. “After I was attended to, the doctor in London said the poison was categorically damaging my kidney.” he told The Citizen.

According to Mr Mkono, he was warned shortly before flying to London that he should be careful and avoid the hotel booked for the delegation from Tanzania—and he chose to go directly to his residence in London. “I received two messages from some colleagues warning me to take care during my stay,” Mr Mkono said. “I was embedded with some legislators on that trip.”  Security agents from CID headquarters are already on the case. Parliamentary Clerk Thomas Kashililah said the case had been reported to his office but he did not have details.“I know that Hon Mkono had a health problem while in London but he is doing well,” Mr Kashililah said. “Details of his illness remain a secret between Mkono and his doctor.”

Mr Mkono was the lead counsel for the Tanzania Electric Supply Co Limited (Tanesco) and the government in the case against Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL) in the past decade and represented both at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) before his contract expired earlier this year. Tanesco declined to renew Mr Mkono’s contract. He is perceived as the man behind the leak in the escrow saga, given the amount of information he must be having about the entire scandal. 

In July, minister for Energy and Minerals Sospeter Muhongo accused Mr Mkono of plotting to oust him via the escrow scandal—an allegation that the lawyer vehemently denies. A few weeks later, the Speaker asked Mr Mkono for details on how he handled the cases of IPTL and Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong filed against Tanesco and the government. Mr Mkono presented a detailed dossier on the withdrawal of the escrow billions amounting to Sh207 billion from the Bank of Tanzania at a time when there was a case pending at the international court. The Citizen could not independently verify whether there are links between the poisoning case and the scandal. Mr Mkono would only say that investigations would establish the truth.

The Citizen