Businessman to serve 80 years in prison for supporting terrorism
A businessman accused of giving support to terrorist has been jailed for a total of 80 years.
Abdi Rizzak Muktar Edow, who was convicted on seven counts, will only serve the first sentence of 20 years for the offence of offering logistical and material support to terrorists.
For the rest of the six offences he will serve 10 years for each count. The sentences shall be served concurrently.
While sentencing the accused Milimani Law Courts senior principal magistrate Joyce Gandani said, “Terrorism activities have left hundreds of Kenyans dead and scores injured besides causing damage to property running into billions of shillings.”
Ms Gandani said all the 19 witnesses called by the prosecution linked Mr Edow with terrorism activities including the organization of an outlawed meeting at the Masjid Musa Mosque in Mombasa , February 2014.
Mr Edow, a 25 year old businessman based in Narok, was convicted in seven counts where the magistrate gave various sentences.
ENHANCING TERRORISM
Mr Edow faced various counts among them being member of Al Shabaab for which he was sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Mr Edow was charged with providing his car for hire to a Shabaab linkman identified as Sheikh Hassan on May 3, a day before the vehicle was intercepted at a roadblock in Mandera.
The occupants of the car engaged police officers in a gunfight before they were killed. According to the prosecution, eight hand grenades were retrieved from the vehicle among other paraphernalia.
Mr Edow, who operates a car hire service was arrested on June 2 at the Masai Mara Game Reserve Narok. He denied the charges linking him to the attack in Mandera the previous day.
The suspect was also charged with sending invitations, allegedly found on his cell phone, for a ‘radicalisation’ meeting scheduled for February 2 at the Masjid Musa “to further the cause of a terror group.”
In the other four counts of being in possession of material for enhancing terrorism he was sentenced to serve 10 years for each count.
MAXIMUM SENTENCE
Defence lawyer Mbugua Mureithi, said he will appeal against the judgment saying it was too “harsh and punitive.”
Earlier in mitigation, Mr Mureithi had asked the court to “consider a rehabilitative sentence to give the convict time to change saying he was a young father and the sole bread winner.”
The prosecution had asked the court to hand down the maximum sentence of 30 years.
Ms Gandani gave the convict 14 days to appeal against the sentence.
Mr Edow has been in prison custody for the last two years. His request to be released on bond pending appeal was overruled by the court.
Soon after the sentence was passed the accused was hurriedly evacuated from the court and whisked away by heavily armed security personnel.
