Fred Mukinda
8 October 2008
document
Nairobi — Thursday, October 9, 2008 is the 14th day since Somali pirates hijacked the Ukranian ship.
Chronology of events:
September 26: Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean seize Ukrainian ship carrying 33 military tanks and other military hardware destined for the Mombasa port.
The pirates struck off the coast of Puntland and commandeer ship to Somali territorial waters.
Military spokesman Bogita Ongeri says Defence minister Yusuf Haji is collaborating with various countries whose navies operate in the Indian Ocean to get back the ship.
September 27: Government spokesman Alfred Mutua says Kenya has not received any official communication, ransom demand or otherwise, from the pirates.
The pirates demand Sh2.34 billion ransom.
September 28: US naval ships and fighter aircraft surround the hijacked ship.
The captain of the Ukrainian ship, mv Faina, dies after falling ill.
Pirates lower the ransom to US $20 million (Sh1.4 billion) and vow not to release the ship until the whole amount is paid.
Military sources indicate the seized military hardware was destined for Southern Sudan and not Kenya.
September 29: Lt Nathan Christensen, of the US Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain, is quoted by the Associated Press saying the arms were heading to an unknown buyer in Sudan.
However, Kenya's military spokesman Bogita Ongeri, dismisses the claim saying the arms were Kenya's.
Kenyan Government releases two documents, a bill of lading and a letter from the Ukrainian exporter, to prove it had bought the cargo on the hijacked ship.
September 30: The Press counsellor at the Sudanese embassy in Nairobi, Ms Somaya Abdel Sadig says arms do not belong to Southern Sudan.
Three pirates are reported dead after a shoot-out in the ship. Two groups of the pirates had argued over what to do with the deadly arsenal.
October 1: It emerges that purchase of arms by Southern Sudan is in violation of a United Nations embargo on arms sales.
October 2: The European Union vows to launch a quick military strike against pirates.
East Africa Seafarers Association programme coordinator Andrew Mwangura is charged with publishing a false statement regarding the hijacked ship.
He was the first to say the arms were for Southern Sudan.
October 3: The Somali government asks Russia to intervene against pirates who have seized the cargo ship.
Russian navy issues a statement saying it has no intention of using force on the pirates.
October 5: UN documents reveal that 77 tanks and 15 jet fighters were secretly imported by Kenya last year alone.
October 6: A France-based website, Sudan Tribune, shows 50 tanks had arrived at the port of Mombasa in February, and more cargo, including rocket launchers, artillery and an aircraft, would be delivered in the following months.
October 7: Somali pirates holding the Ukrainian ship revise the ransom demand to US$8 million (Sh576 million), down from US$ 20 million (Sh1.4 billion).
The ship's freight cargo manifest shows the military hardware was imported by Kenya's Defence ministry as consignee.
October 8: Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang'ula calls for the use of force to secure the arms seized by Somali pirates.
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