Eldoret man gets 15-year jail term over Shabaab links
Mr Ramadhan Adam Athman arraigned in Eldoret on February 1, 2019. A court sentenced him to 15 years in jail over links to terror group Al-Shabaab. PHOTO | TITUS OMINDE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The government has intensified the fight against terrorism following the attack on DusitD2 complex in Nairobi two weeks ago.
- The attack, which Shabaab claimed responsibility, killed 21 people and left several others injured.
A man in Eldoret was on Friday jailed for 15 years over links to terror group Al-Shabaab.
Mr Ramadhan Adam Athman, 32, was found with video clips and literature for radicalising youths, contrary to the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
He was arrested by the Anti-Terrorist Police Unit on June 2016 after residents of Kipkaren estate in Eldoret raised alarm.
When delivering the ruling, Eldoret Chief Magistrate Charles Obulutsa argued that even though the accused denied being a member of the militant group, the videos found in his possession indicated that he was either a follower or sympathiser.
DUSIT
State counsel Juliet Busienei said the members of public suspected that Mr Athman together with others not before court were plotting to carry out terror activities.
However, his lawyer Chacha A. Mwita said: "Your honour, though my client was found with the said articles there are no records to associate him with terrorism; no evidence has been produced in court confirming that he was a member of outlawed Al-Shabaab group." Mr Athman has 14 days to appeal.
The judgment comes as the government intensifies its fight against terrorism following the attack on DusitD2 complex in Nairobi two weeks ago.
The attack, which Shabaab claimed responsibility, killed 21 people and left others injured.
