Ugandans, Congolese found in Kenya illegally plead guilty

Two Ugandans and a Congolese have pleaded guilty to sneaking into the country and staying illegally.

Abdu Rashid Ssekajio, Kasereka Kanyama Adolphe (both Ugandans) and Shadrack Jacob (Congolese) faced three charges at the Mandera Law Courts.

The charges included attempting to depart from Kenya through an illegal point, failing to report their arrival in Kenya at the immigration offices and being unlawfully present in the country.

Appearing before Mandera Principal Magistrate Peter Areri, the three, however, denied that they were found by police officers manning the Kenya-Somali border as they sneaked into Somalia at an illegal point.

BORDER

They were charged that on June 23, they were found at Border Point Three as they attempted to leave Kenya.

The matter will be mentioned on August 8.

In the second count, they pleaded guilty to failing to report their entry into Kenya at the Busia border point on diverse dates between June 18 and 20, 2019.

They also pleaded guilty to being in Kenya illegally, which was established after their arrest on June 23.

They will be sentenced for the two offences Tuesday after Prosecutor Kennedy Amwayi asked for time to present facts.

INVESTIGATIONS

The suspects, together with Mr Gullow Ayow Musa, have been in police custody since June 24 after the same court allowed police to hold them for ten days as they conclude investigations.

While seeking custodial orders then, Mr Elvis Korir, a police officer attached to the Mandera Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) office, told the court that the four were suspected to be members of Al-Shabaab intelligence wing and were in Mandera on a mission.

Mr Korir wanted to establish their mission of in Somalia after he told the court that the suspects were found crossing the border.

INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

The four were arrested following intelligence reports that Al-Shabaab had dispatched eight Amniyaat into the town. The reports put security agencies on high alert.

Amniyaat is the Shabaab unit that gathers intelligence used in attacking and destroying targets.

The report shared on June 21 indicated the eight Amniyaat were to kidnap teachers and medical staff in Mandera town ostensibly to be used in schools and hospitals in areas controlled by Al-Shabaab inside Somalia.

EXONORATED

On, Monday, a letter from the Mandera ATPU office signed by a Mr Ndung’u Mburu and addressed to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions exonerated Mr Musa from any terror activities.

Mr Mburu stated that the multi-agency investigative team handling the case had established that Mr Musa was a Mandera resident and had no links to Al-Shabaab terror cells.

Mr Musa had been accused of owning an assault rifle but ATPU indicated that a search at his house yielded nothing.