Two Men Found Guilty of Financing 2019 Al-Shabaab hotel Attack in Kenya  

NAIROBI, Kenya - A court in Kenya has found two men guilty of aiding an Al-Shabaab attack in Kenya that left 21 people dead in 2019, with the Kahawa Law Courts linking them directly with the prime perpetrators following evidence tabled before the judge.

The two, Hussein Mohamed Abdille Ali and Mohamed Abdi Ali, who were earlier found to have a case to answer, appeared before Lady Justice Diana Kavedza, who found them guilty on all charges except one, of conspiring to commit a terrorist act contrary to the law.

According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), Hussein was found guilty of facilitating the terrorists through the payment of $6500 to one of the killers who died instantly after the attack.

“The court found that he had facilitated the attack by transferring a total of Ksh.. 836,900 (6500) via M-Pesa to Ali Salim Gichunge, also known as Farouk or Erick Kinyanjui Munyi — the deceased attacker and a member of the Al Shabaab terrorist group,” stated the ODPP.

“These transactions occurred between October 14, 2018, and January 12, 2019, in the Soko Mbuzi area of Mandera County.”

A total of 46 witnesses were presented by the prosecution, which played an integral role in securing convictions. The team wants sentences for each count to run consecutively rather than concurrently.

The court ordered the preparation of a probation report within 21 days, to be submitted by June 17, 2025. The matter was scheduled for a sentencing hearing on June 19, 2025. This is a major breakthrough in the fight against Al-Shabaab.

In the recent hearing of the case, the first accused, Mire Abdulahi, previously entered a plea bargain with the prosecution and was duly convicted and sentenced. The court on January 21st found that the two suspects had a case to answer.

During the trial in January, Lady Justice Kavedza in her ruling said, “Having considered the evidence of 55 witnesses, including expert testimonies, and the material presented before me, I am satisfied that the prosecution has established a prima facie case against the two accused persons. I hereby place the second accused, Hussein Mohamed Abdile, and the third accused, Mohamed Abdi Ali, on their defence.”

GAROWE ONLINE