BY SAM ALFAN.
A medical doctor at Wote General Hospital has been found guilty of terrorism.
The doctor, Mohamed Abdi alias Abu Fidaa, is an ISIS member who had, until his arrest in 2016, been aiding and facilitating youth recruitment to join ISIS, making communication and waging online support and financial assistance to the dreaded Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS.
The magistrate, Martha Mutuku, found Mohamed Abdi Ali alias Abu Fidaa guilty of five counts of terrorism finding that prosecution proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
“I do find that the prosecution has proved its case against the first accused person(Mohamed Abdi Ali alias Abu Fidaa) in respect of count 1, 2,4, 7, and 8 and I convict him for these count under section 215 of the CPC,” ruled the magistrate.
Senior Principal Prosecutor Duncun Ondimu urged the court to hand Mohamed Abdi a 96-year sentence terming the offence as most lethal due to its nature and effect on the country.
“There is no doubt that this country has suffered and continues to suffer effect of terrorism offences which have been committed, which have left long effect on the victim both physically, mentally and economically,” Ondimu told the court.
He requested the court to note that the convict was a medical doctor working at Wote General hospital paid by taxpayers money, despite harbouring ill intentions: he was not keen to treat the sick but recruit young people into terrorism.
During his trial, Ondimu noted that the convict never exhibited remorse to make the court consider his behaviour.
“Terrorism affects everyone most cases defenseless who cannot defend themselves and in this case there was use of technology to perpetuate the crime,” Ondimu told the court.
Through his lawyer, Chacha Mwita, Mohamed was seeking a non-custodial sentence which Prosecution vehemently opposed urging the court to ignore it.
Inversely, Mohamed was acquitted of solicitisation for the commission of a terrorist act, promoting a terrorist act and directing the commission of terrorist Act.
The court also acquited his wife Nuseibah Mohamed Haji who was the then a Kampala University student all counts.
The convict were arrested on 29th April 2016. Mohamed has been in custody since then.
He was accused that before the 30 August, 2016 at the anti- terrorism police unit headquarters in Nairobi, he was found to be a member of a terrorist group namely the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
The medical doctor was also charged that on diverse dates between 1st January 2015 and 30″ August , 2016 at unknown place within the Republic of Kenya, jointly with others not before court, knowingly ran a recruitment of youth to be members of ISIS terrorist group also known as the Islamic state of iraq and Syria by linking them up with other fighters in Libya and facilitating communication through social media platforms (namely twitter, Km, Threenia, and Telegram) and email communications.
He was also accused that on diverse dates between January 2015 and 27 August 2016 at unknown place within the Republic of Kenya, jointly with others not before court, organized meetings knowing that the agendas of the meetings were for the activities of a terrorist group by making referrals regarding operations, financing and recruitment, tasking to translate material for the purpose of terrorist activities.
