Milimani Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi scheduled the matter for mention on Thursday to confirm the progress of ongoing investigations by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU)/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 2 – Blogger Robert Alai was Tuesday granted a Sh300,000 cash bail with an alternative of Sh500,000 surety bond after being charged with interfering with investigations in last month’s Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack on police in Wajir by suspected Al Shabaab militants.
Milimani Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi scheduled the matter for mention on Thursday to confirm the progress of ongoing investigations by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU).
Milimani’s Senior Resident Magistrate Sinkiyiany Tobiko, had allowed the application for custody of Alai on June 20, only limiting it to 14 days. The prosecution had asked the court to allow him be held for a further 30 days to allow them conclude investigations.
The accused was arraigned in court at the time on charges of treachery and disclosure of information that could jeopardize a police investigation into the Wajir attack.
During the appearance on Tuesday, the prosecution did not oppose bail accorded to him.
The defense through Senior Counsel Paul Muite and Edward Oonge had pleaded with the court to give him lenient bond terms.
The prosecution told the court that June 17, at unknown place within the country with intent to help Al Shabaab, Alai shared a photo of deceased police officers on social media platforms.
According to the prosecution, the act was meant to interfere with maintenance of public order.
The prosecution, told the court that on June 15, police officers from Khoral Haral Police Post located within Wajir County while on board a patrol vehicle were attacked by terrorists who had planted an IED on Haral road, where several police officers were killed and other injured.
The court heard that officers from serious crime Unit moved in and arrested the two suspects and handed them to ATPU for investigations.
The prosecution said that at the time of arrest the suspects mobile phone were seized and are currently being forensically examined by experts and the report is yet to be obtained and analysis.
The prosecution said that, preliminary investigations reveal that the two Kenyans were in constant communication with several other numbers which were located both in the country and Somalia.
About The Author
