The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has secured the conviction of a Somali national linked to the outlawed Al-Shabaab militia group.
In a statement on Thursday, March 19, the ODDP said the accused, Abdikarim Hassanow Hassan, was found guilty on multiple terrorism-related charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2012.
“The Kahawa Law Courts found Abdikarim Hassanow Hassan, also known as Ali, guilty on multiple terrorism-related charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2012.
“The conviction follows a robust Prosecution that laid bare a coordinated scheme of recruitment, radicalisation, and facilitation of terrorist activities,” read the statement.
According to the ODPP, the accused was found to be an active member of the Al-Shabaab militia group, which is designated as a terrorist organization.
Read More
Hassan was also found to have organized meetings in support of the militia group, fully aware of their intent to advance extremist agendas.
During the trial, the prosecution proved that Hassan targeted and radicalised a minor, luring the victim into joining the Al-Shabaab militia.
“He lured the victim with promises of financial rewards, military training, and religious incentives, before facilitating plans for the minor’s travel to Somalia to join the militant group.
“The accused provided logistical support, including travel routes and financial assistance, in a clear attempt to operationalise the recruitment,” the ODPP stated.
The court found the victim’s testimony credible, consistent, and instrumental in establishing a deliberate pattern of indoctrination and preparation.
In delivering the judgment, Magistrate Boaz Ombewa affirmed the strength of the prosecution’s case, noting that it met the threshold of proof beyond a reasonable doubt across all charges.
“I find that Prosecution established a troubling narrative of facilitation, ideological indoctrination, and preparation, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused was the author, financier, recruiter, and radicaliser as charged,” Ombewa ruled.
The case will be mentioned on April 20, 2026, when the court will set a date for sentencing.
This conviction comes months after three Kamiti Maximum prison wardens were convicted of facilitating the escape of terrorist inmates.
The three officers were found guilty of neglect of official duty, aiding prisoners to escape, and organizing a meeting in support of a terrorist group.
Delivering his judgment at Kahawa Law Court, Ombewa observed that the escape was clearly well-planned and must have taken a considerable amount of time to execute.
The convicted officers are Robert Kipkirui Soi, Kaikai Talengo Moses, and Willy Wambua.
The prosecution called fourteen witnesses and proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the convicts aided the escape of three terrorism convicts on the night of November 14, 2021, and the morning of November 15, 2021, at GK Kamiti Maximum Security Prison within Kasarani Sub-County in Nairobi City County.
