Suspects
Five Somalia nationals claiming to be university students have been charged before an Eldoret court for being in the county illegally
The accused who included two women, were arrested on June 29 by security officers based at Tarakwa police station on the Eldoret – Nakuru highway while being ferried in a black tinted Toyota Voxy vehicle, KCZ 911R. The suspects were arraigned before Eldoret Senior Resident Magistrate Mogire Onkoba where they, through an interpreter, denied the charges.
The accused included Ali, Ayan Salad, Nasro Mahad Salad, Ismail Mahad Mohamed, Ahmed Muhamed, Farah, and Abdlaziz Salad Ali. Police requested the court to grant them until Monday, July 8 to enable them to complete investigations against the accused persons to determine their nationality and mission in the country.
The accused persons according to Police Constable Phanuel Kaaria told the court the accused did not produce any identification documents but only provided their names. “Their intentions in the country are not yet known and we believe they are using proceeds of crime to fund terror groups,” Constable Kaari said.
Court records indicated the accused persons were traveling from Malaba border to Nairobi when the police officers flagged them down at a roadblock near Tarakwa police station. Security officers said the driver of the vehicle fled on foot after stopping leaving the accused persons in the car.
Kaaria further told the court that they were yet to submit the mobile phones they confiscated from the accused persons to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit Information Communication and Technology laboratory for forensic analysis.
“Your honor, we are to subject the accused persons to a multi-agency team drawn from National Intelligence Service, Kenya Defense Force, Military Intelligence, Directorate of Immigration Services, National Registration Bureau, and Interpol among other security stakeholders,” said Kaaria.
The court ordered the accused to be detained at Eldoret Central Police Station. The magistrate told the accused persons that they would be given the privilege of sending somebody to buy food of their choice and mineral water from outside the police station.
This was after they raised complaints over a lack of clean drinking water and food at the cells where they have been held since their arrest six days ago. Onkoba ruled that the case be mentioned on Monday when he would give further directions.