Kenyan minister banned from entering Britain over unspecified reasons Friday threatened to sue the British government for libel.

Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, Transport Minister Chris Murungaru challenged the British government to provide tangible evidence of his wrongdoing which must be able to withstand legal scrutiny in any court.

"Let London table the case against me now in the public domain in both London and Nairobi and end this campaign of nonspecific attrition," the minister told reporters.

"I will vigorously defend my human rights, my dignity and integrity in courts of law in Nairobi and any other appropriate jurisdiction," he asserted.

The Kenyan minister blamed his woes on the immediate former British envoy to Kenya Edward Clay, whom he accused for baying for his blood during his tenure as the national security minister.

The former British envoy has on record described the Office of the President as the biggest merchant of corruption.

He spoke at a time when Murungaru was the minister in charge of national security.

The decision is a body blow to the image of the minister whose tenure at national security faced a barrage of criticism from donor community which linked the ministry to corruption.

But Murungaru cited loss of lucrative government procurement contracts by the British firms as one of the reasons for Britain's move to ban him from entering the country.

"I intend to take the most vigorous legal action to end this hounding by innuendo, gossip and malice," the minister who refused to take questions from journalists, charged. REFUSAL OF ENTRY

A note sent to airlines from the British High Commission in Nairobi said that Murungaru is "not, repeat not, acceptable for travel to or through the UK and should not be carried there."

"Please note that the current UK visa in the passport of the above named gentleman has been revoked," read an alert.

Britain also advised the airlines that if Murungaru disputes that his visa has been canceled, he should be referred to the British High Commission in Nairobi.

A spokesman at the British High Commission, Mark Norton said there is a long standing provision in the British immigration rules that a visa can be refused to someone who is convicted of, or suspected to be involved in, serious crimes including corruption.

"The provision has been used before and could be used again. I can also confirm that the letter did indeed issue from this office on Wednesday morning," Norton said by telephone.

But Murungaru described the ban as the most malicious, callous and unwarranted thing that has ever happened to him.

"The truth in my case is not being given, even by a word in edgewise because the ban is shrouded in bureaucratic and diplomatic mystery. This is pure scare-mongering and intimidation, " said Murungaru.

He regretted that not even his parliamentary or diplomatic immunity justifies the nature and mode of the attack on his reputation.

"Why has the British High Commission exposed me to this damaging speculation?" the minister wondered.

Kenyan government officials have described the move to ban the minister as an "unfriendly act from a friendly government" while others have called for his sacking.

Murungaru, 51, is considered one of Kenya's most powerful politicians under President Mwai Kibaki government but he was demoted following allegations of corrupt procurement of security projects in the security ministry.

He becomes the first Kenyan serving minister in the current ruling coalition to suffer the slap of a travel ban by a European state and only the second lawmaker.

Last December former Kenyan minister Nicholas Biwott was banned from entering the United States for alleged corruption.

Biwott, 64, was considered one of Kenya's most powerful politicians during the reign of former President Daniel arap Moi.

Source: Xinhua