A man has been charged for allegedly publishing information alleging that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s birthday was funded using finances meant for persons with disabilities.
Abdul Majid alias DR Amkeni appeared before Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate Rita Orora and pleaded not guilty.
The court heard that on diverse dates between March 9, 2021, and January 20, 2023 at an unknown place, he knowingly published false information on YouTube claiming that Mombasa County Governer Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir misused funds meant for persons living with disabilities to host Raila’s birthday party – an act which is likely to discredit his reputation.
Abdul was further slapped with four more counts of publishing false information against Mombasa county assembly speaker Aharubi Khatri, and former Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho’s brother Abubakar Joho over claims of having illegally imported firearms from Afghanistan and Pakistan through the port of Mombasa and later on sold to the Alshabab militants in Somalia.
It has further emerged that detectives drawn from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations(DCI) are now seeking to have the suspect denied bond to enable police complete investigations in relation to the origin of a cache of weapons and how they entered the port of Mombasa and the alleged operatives involved in their shipment and final destination.
Investigating officer Abdulahi Hussein, in his sworn affidavit, informed the court that preliminary investigations had established that the suspect had crucial information on the alleged consignment of arms which was illegally imported from Afghanistan and Pakistan by known operatives through the port of Mombasa and that the same was sold by the said operatives to Somalia.
“Preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused person is in possession of crucial information that may lead police to unravel the identity of the man behind a dangerous arms trafficking syndicate however he has declined to cooperate with investigators,” Hussein said.
Meanwhile, police say the suspect is in possession of two passports; a Kenyan passport and a British passport holder number 124130225 with one bearing the name Qassim Issak. Both passports have his photo and his particulars.
“We are apprehensive that if released on bond he may abscond and leave the country as we are yet to establish how he is a British citizen with two different identities. We are also working closely with the British government to establish this,” he said.
The matter will be mentioned on February 6, 2023 for a bond ruling.
