Court allows Mandera police 14 days to probe suspect

A court in Mandera has allowed police officers to hold a terror suspect for 14 days to complete investigations.

The court directed the suspect, Mr Samuel Kairo Njenga, to be held at the Mandera Police Station for a period not exceeding 14 days.

Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) told the court that Mr Njenga was arrested on May 7 while at Koromey on the outskirts of Mandera town by police reservists.

“We are applying for 14days to hold and investigate the intention of the respondent being found at Koromey area trekking to Arabia along the Kenya-Somalia border,” said Mr Allen Mulama, the state counsel.

Mr Mulama told the court that the suspect arrived in Mandera from Mombasa where he had stayed after his return from Tanzania on an unknown mission.

“Preliminary reports in police possession indicate the suspect was in Tanzania through Kwale County and that he has been operating between Kwale and Kilifi counties,” said Mr Mulama.

Mr Stephen Opondo, an ATPU police officer based in Mandera, told the court that were indications that the suspect was in contact with someone from Mombasa and that he was to be picked up in the Arabia area to enter Somalia.

“The suspect had all the valid documents to allow him cross into Somalia, but he failed to report at the immigration offices to secure permission to exit,” said Mr Opondo.

During his arrest, Mr Njenga found his Kenyan identity card and passport.

“He told the police reservists upon arrest that he was headed to Somalia to secure employment and he did not disclose much,” read the affidavit.

The police suspect he was recruited by Al-Shabaab and was on his way to join the terror group.

“Being found along the dangerous Mandera-Arabia route is a sign that his recruiters were coming for him and that they were in communication with him. The police need time to confirm this,” said Mr Mulama.

The Koromey- Arabia area where the suspect was found loitering has since been marked as a terror prone zone by the security agencies in Mandera.

“I was in that area and as I was borrowing bus fare from a woman, she called police reservists who arrested me. I don’t have a problem with being investigated because police have [all my documents],” Mr Njenga told the court.

The case will be mentioned on May 22.