Security inspection is mandatory in most premises in Nairobi. VIPs who do not wish to undergo checks usually make prior arrangement with the premises management and security to get advance clearance.
On Sunday 3rd March, a black RAV4 pulled up at the Gateway Park gate on Mombasa Road. As a matter of procedure Walter Ouma, one of the security men on guard, requested to undertake a security search of the car and occupants. The car had two people: a white man in the co-driver’s seat and his driver, a Kenyan who turned out to be his lawyer.
Curiously, the two declined to undergo a security check. When the Ouma pressed them further, the white man identified Bulent Gulbahar, a Turkish national, stepped out of the car, pushed the gate open and went after the two guards who had tried to block his entry. The man, apparently physically strong, overpowers them and lands kicks and blows on Ouma, while uttering obscenities and derogatory remarks, according to witnesses who were outraged with the action but feared the foreigner could be armed.
CCTV cameras at the business complex caught the action which left many wondering why a foreigner, who is understood to have been having issues with his landlord at the complex, would molest a security guard doing his job.
The management immediately called the OCS of Industrial Area Police station who took a statement from Gulbahar but released him a few hours later pending investigation.
There are, however, fears that the Gulbahar, being a foreigner with local connections, may get away with what is clearly a breach of peace and the law. It is also an issue that will certainly attract the attention of Immigration Department and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) as it borders on racial discrimination/hatred.