Man sentenced to death for the murder of Sheikh Mohammed Idris

The late anti radical Muslim cleric Sheikh Mohammed Idris.

Mombasa, Kenya: The High Court in Mombasa has sentenced to death murder suspect Mohamed Sudi Mohamed accused of killing anti radical Muslim cleric Sheikh Mohammed Idris the chairman of Council of Preachers of Kenya (CIPK).

Immediately after the sentence, Sudi's wife Mwanasha Mohammed and the family burst into wails and screams protesting the sentence given to their loved one.

A troop of prison security guards who had brought Sudi into the court under tight security were forced to escort the family out of courts to allow other proceedings to continue.

Sudi despite of the sentence remained calm and looked his family members and waved his hands with a thump up sign as he was escorted out of the courts.

"It is okay, we will be good my people," said Sudi who threw his hand up for the judge after he finished reading the sentence.

Sudi was handed the death sentence after judge Martin Muya found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt of shooting dead Idris who was also chairman of Sakina Mosque in Mombasa that was taken over by radical youths.

 

Muya said the evidence tendered by the prosecution in court was consistent and had placed Sudi at the scene of crime.

"The accused suffers death as a way of sentence because prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt from the evidence prodiced by the experts and spent cartridges found on him," said Muya.

Muya said that the alibi defence by Sudi failed to create doubt in the minds of the court that he was not at the scene of crime on the day of the shooting.

Muya said death was the only sentence for murder and other alternatives were still under considerations in the Supreme Court.

The judge dismissed claims by sudi that police had framed him and planted the evidence on him because the flying squad who had arrested Sudi were from Nairobi and did not know who he was.

Sudi was accused of killing Idris in Likoni, Mombasa, on June 10 and had earlier been charged with illegally having explosives, a gun and bullets.

Investigations showed that the gun in Sudi's possession had been used recently.

The investigating officer in the case said that after examination, it was discovered that the gun and cartridges used to kill Idris were the same as those found in Sudi possession.

Sudi was also charged with being a member of the Mombasa Republican Council and having 108 DVDs that may instigate people to a terrorist act.

Sheikh Idris was shot on his way to the mosque for morning prayers on June 10 and he died at Pandya Memorial Hospital.

His body had two gunshots; one went through his left leg and the other through the upper side of his abdomen.