27 April 2001
Catholic priest John Kaiser's death was yesterday described as a loss to Kenya.
In a dicusssion with Vice-President George Saitoti of the recent report on the death, FBI director Louis Freeh praised the American priest as dedicated to the country.
He told the VP he had informed Congress and the US Catholic hierarchy of the suicide verdict.
The US embassy public affairs section later said in a statement: "Director Freeh emphasised his own communications with Congress and the church hierarchy...and noted Father Kaiser's decades-long contribution to Kenya and the loss his untimely death represents."
The suicide findings have caused uproar from the Catholic fraternity, Kaiser's sister and politicians.
In the US, Senator Sen Paul Wellstone says he remains sceptical about the FBI findings.
Sen Wellstone, a Democrat representing Fr Kaiser's native Minnesota, has requested a meeting with FBI agents following last week's release in Nairobi of the bureau's final report on the death.
Catholic prelates John Njue of Embu and Cornelius Korir of Eldoret have also dismissed the suicide ruling.
Catholic bishops are expected to discuss the report during their annual plenary meeting which has been going on in Nairobi since Tuesday.
The meeting, which is chaired by Bishop Njue, ends today.
Prof Saitoti and Mr Freeh also discussed bilateral issues, including narcotics trafficking, counter-terrorism, money laundering and international fraud cases.
Mr Freeh, who is on a tour of Africa, is scheduled to visit Tanzania and Ghana. He officially opened an FBI office at the US embassy in South Africa the other day.
He chose to visit Kenya and Tanzania particularly to thank the governments for their role in the arrest of the 1998 US embassies' bombing suspects.
Mr Freeh was appointed FBI head in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. He had worked as a special agent from 1975 to 1981. After 10 years as prosecutor, Mr Freeh was appointed a Federal District Court Judge by President George Bush the Elder.
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