Four Kenyans including a former presidential aide have been banned from traveling to the United States under a U.S. anti-corruption law.
The four men have been linked to the so-called "Anglo Leasing" scandal, in which a phony company received some $200 million in Kenyan state contracts.
Among those banned is Alfred Getonga, a former aide to Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki. The other three are Kenyan businessmen: Jimmy Wanjigi, Deepak Kamani, and Anura Perera. All four have denied any wrongdoing.
The U.S. Embassy in Kenya says the bans were imposed on May 12 and will make the four men ineligible for a U.S. visa.
Embassy officials refused to say why the bans were issued at this time.
The bans are based on a U.S. presidential proclamation that gives U.S. officials the power to deny entry to people engaged in or benefiting from corruption.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.