Kenyan minister resigns over car imports scandal

Kenya’s industrialisation minister said on Tuesday he has resigned his post over a car imports scandal that will see the country’s anti-graft agency taking him to court on corruption charges.

Henry Kosgey said he did not do anything wrong and looks forward to defending himself in court.

Kosgey said he wrote to President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Tuesday to offer “to step aside”, so that he can clear his name.

Odinga’s office issued a statement on Tuesday to say the prime minister consulted with Kibaki and accepted Kosgey’s decision.

Kosgey is already facing possible charges at the International Criminal Court for his suspected role in Kenya’s deadly electoral dispute that saw more than 1 000 people killed after the country’s December 2007 presidential poll.—Sapa-AP