High Court in Meru reduces bail for three terror suspects to Sh3m each

From left: Henry Karithi M'Amai alias Adam, Abubakar Sharif Ahmed and Issa Shaban M'Thambura when they appeared before Meru Resident Judge Roselyne Wendoh. The reduced their bail from Sh5 million to Sh3 million each. PHOTO | PHOEBE OKALL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • She also ordered the three suspects to be reporting to Isiolo Police Station after every two weeks.
  • The three sought the reduction of the Sh5 million bail issued to them by a lower court.
  • However their co-accused Mahboob Saleh Mohammed was freed after he deposited the Sh5 million bond.
  • Henry Karithi M’Amai is facing another separate charge of being in possession of information connected to the commission of terrorism.

The Meru High Court has reduced bail issued to three terrorism suspects from Sh5 million to Sh3 million each.

Meru Resident Judge Roselyne Wendoh reviewed the bail downwards and directed that the order be submitted to the lower court.

She also ordered the three suspects to be reporting to Isiolo Police Station after every two weeks until any other orders are issued by the trial court.

She said she reduced the bail since the prosecution in the lower court did not oppose the application and there were no compelling reasons to reject it.

“The State counsel in the lower court did not oppose bail. They cannot oppose the same now when no compelling reasons have been shown.

“But public safety is paramount though the court must balance the same with the rights of the accused persons,” She noted.

Abubakar Sharif Ahmed, Issa Shaban M’Thambura and Henry Karithi M’Amai alias Adam sought the reduction of the Sh5 million bail issued to them by a lower court.

DENIED CHARGES

Through their lawyer Kiogora Mugambi, they filed an urgent application on July 15 asking the court to review their bail downwards after they failed to raise it as ordered by the Isiolo chief magistrate’s court on July 9, 2015 after they denied terrorism charges.

However their co-accused Mahboob Saleh Mohammed was freed after he deposited the Sh5 million bond.

Mr Mugambi told the court that the applicants were suffering at Isiolo GK Prison and that the conditions of the bond granted by the lower court was so excessive as to amount to denial of bond.

The four suspects are facing three counts of terrorism and appeared before Isiolo Chief Magistrate Samuel Muigai on July 8, 2015.

In the first count, they were all accused of facilitating the recruitment of members of a terrorist group.

According to the prosecution, on or before June 22, 2015, the suspects facilitated the recruitment of youths to join Al-Shabaab terror group.

M’Amai is facing another separate charge of being in possession of information connected to the commission of terrorism.

It is alleged that on July 1 while at Laare Township in Igembe North, he was found with a compact disk (CD) containing radical preaching by the slain Sheikh Aboud Rogo which he had knowledge it was to be used in instigating the commission of a terrorist act.