Kisenyi Al-Shabaab terror suspects remanded further

The terror suspects in court on charges of belonging to Al Shabaab terror group (Photo: Kenneth Kazibwe/ChimpReports)

By Michael Odeng
Wednesday, February 4, 2015

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KAMPALA – Ten Kisenyi al-Shabaab terror suspects including two women have been remanded again to Luzira Prison due to incomplete investigations.

This was after state prosecutor Edward Muhumuza asked Buganda Road Magistrates’ Court presided over by Grade One Magistrate Pamela Lamunu Ocaya to remand the suspects to enable police complete its investigations.

“Inquiries are not complete. We pray that the court remands the suspects because the State is still probing them,” said Muhumuza.

He said the findings would subsequently be compiled in an indictment report to be used during trial at the High Court.

This prompted court to remand the suspects until February 16.

The suspects – nine Somali national and a Kenyan – who were arrested in September 2014 in Kisenyi, a city suburb, appeared in court to answer charges of aiding and abetting terrorism and an alternative count of belonging to a terrorist organization.

The maximum penalty of the offence is death on conviction.

Richard Rugambwa was present as lawyer for suspect Mohamed Abdulkdir Hirsi alias Mohamed Abdul Aziz Adan. The other lawyers, David Mushabe and Andrew Manzi, were absent.

Procedurally, on completion of the probe, the Police inform the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which notifies court of the development by formulating an indictment.

The committal papers containing the indictment are then forwarded to the High Court, which has jurisdiction to try the capital offence of terrorism.

The Magistrate’s Court only has powers to mention such cases, during which suspects are informed of the progress of the investigations.

The suspects are Mohamed Abdulkdir, 31, Abdi Abdullahi Bootan, 26, Hassan Abduwali Mohamoud, 25, Mohammed Ahmed Gele, 28, Yasimin Abdullahi Aden, 20, Hodan Ahmed Dahir, 23, Yusufu Osman Hussein, 29, Abdi Mohamed, 29, and Abdul Kadir, 24. The Kenyan national is Mohamed Yusuf Farah, 31.

Kisenyi is home to numerous Somali refugees.

Inside court, the suspects seemed calm and smiled at their relatives and friends who filled the court room. While in the dock the suspects would try to raise their hands to plead for pardon but the magistrate would ignore.

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