Scot had no right to mine land, gem murder trial told

Tuesday 4 September 2012

A SCOTTISH gem expert murdered in Kenya after a long-running dispute with locals had no permission to mine a disputed stretch of land, a court heard.

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Campbell Bridges died after being attacked in the grounds of his home in the southern town of Voi in August 2009 with eight men now on trial charged with the murder of the 71-year-old geologist.

His son, Bruce Bridges, 33, a US citizen, claimed his father was in dispute with a number of people who were infringing on his rights after he was granted an exclusive licence.Lawyer Kithi Ngombo, defending, put it to the witness that his father had no right to continue mining in the area because his prospecting licence only lasted for five years and was, by law, not renewable.The lawyer claimed the licence for the disputed land had expired 35 years ago.Mr Bridges denied his father was to blame for the dispute.The witness said his father had received several threats from those who he claimed started to mine on his father's land without permission.Lawyer Gikandi Ngibuini, defending, put it to Mr Bridges that his late father was not liked as a foreigner who had provoked tensions in the area after stopping locals from mining.The witness claimed most of the locals were very happy with his father's work, apart from a few individuals.The victim's son admitted the row had been ongoing for a number of years but that the family had taken no civil action to resolve the matter.Attempts had been made to negotiate with those alleged to have been mining on the disputed land, the court heard.Mr Bridges said: "My father attended several meetings in which the suspects and others were asked to leave the land but they failed."The victim had warned police and authorities about death threats made against him on the day before he died, the court in Mombassa heard.Mr Bridges said his father's attempts to get personal protection from police and provincial administrators had failed on the day before his murder.He said he was surprised when nothing was done about his father's complaints. The court earlier heard Mr Bridges has been given police protection since the beginning of the trial. Mr Bridges was also asked why he named two Kenyan cabinet ministers, Dr Naomi Shaban and Assistant Minister Calist Mwatela, in court as having links to his father's murder when their names had never been put to police in statements. Mr Bridge blamed the police force for not recording some of the facts.Alfred Mwakole, Samuel Mwachala, James Mwita, Daniel Suleiman, Osman Hussein, Crispus Mngola and Mohamed Dadi, deny the murder.The victim was born to a Scottish mother but spent most of his life in Africa.

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Scot had no right to mine land, gem murder trial told

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