Three terror, murder suspects bail by Kahawa court

Terror suspects Ayub Omar Bwanaadi, Mohamed Omar Bwanaadi and Kassim Ahmed Ali, have been denied bail by the Kahawa Law Courts. [Courtesy]

Three people charged with terrorism and several counts of murder have been denied bail by a Kahawa court after it emerged they are a flight risk.

The suspects, who appeared before Kahawa Law Court Magistrate Gideon Kiage, include two brothers. They have been accused of murdering three police officers.

Ayub Bwanaadi, his brother Mohammed Bwanaadi and Kassim Ahmed made their bail application on May 11, 2023, which the court declined after the prosecution said the suspects are likely to flee the country if freed.

They were also charged with being members of ISIS. The suspects were arrested in Isiolo on April 7, on their way to join the terror group in Puntland, Somalia.

They were also charged with two counts of murder after they were linked to the deaths of Mbwajumwali Senior Chief Mohamed Haji Famau, 45, and Myabogi sub-location Assistant Chief Malik Athman Shee, 43. They are said to have committed the offences in Haji's office in Lamu County on December 12, 2019.

The trio faced a fourth charge of the murder of a policeman, Hesborn Okwemwa, on October 2, 2019, in Lamu County.

The prosecution opposed their bail application saying they are a flight risk, noting that the three men fled to Tanzania after police issued warrants of arrest against them after they committed crimes there.

The prosecution said that the men then lived in Kenya for years deciding to join Isis in Puntland through Ethiopia.

The suspects told investigators that they travelled from Tanzania, through Lungalunga, to Nairobi's Eastleigh estate, and were to cross over to Ethiopia where they would get new identities before eventually moving to Somalia.

Police believe the three men chose to flee to Puntland after Kenyan authorities sought help from Tanzania authorities to apprehend them.

Ayub is 32 years old while his brother is 22. Kassim is 29 years old.

During their interrogation, they told the police that the plan to join Daesh in Puntland was mooted by Ali Omar Bwanadi who is Ayub and Mohammed's brother. Police believe Bwanadi is currently in Morogoro, Tanzania.

Ali fled from Kenya to Tanzania after he realized he was being sought by the police over his alleged involvement in the killing of security officers and government officials in Lamu County.

He is said to have introduced them to a facilitator based in Mombasa who sent them Sh150,000 for their travels.

The facilitator was arrested by police and was arraigned at the Shanzu Law Courts on May 24.

The three men then travelled to Mombasa, through Lungalunga with the help of bodaboda riders, and boarded a bus to Mombasa town.

Once at Mwembe Tayari in Mombasa, they were received by a handler whom they told investigators is known to them as Abdi. Abdi is then said to have ushered them into a waiting vehicle that was to move them to Eastleigh.

Abdi gave them the contact of a man who received and hosted them in Eastleigh for days before giving them new sim cards to avoid detection by authorities.

He also trained them on personal security and counterintelligence as they made their way to Ethiopia, where they were to get new identity cards for easy travel to Puntland.

The three men then boarded the Moyale-bound bus from Nairobi before their arrest.