Two terror suspects who had planned to bomb buildings in Nairobi were Thursday, March 7 sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Abdimajit Hassan Adan was last month found guilty of having Improvised Explosive devices (IEDs) including seven projectile bombs and AK 47 rifles.
He was convicted together with Mohammed Osman Nane who will also serve 19 years in prison. An accomplice Lydia Nyawira Mburu will serve three years in prison.
Trial Magistrate Zainab Abdul said there was no doubt the offenses committed were serious.
The Magistrate said a noncustodial sentence as had been prayed for by the convicts cannot be preferred.
A bomb expert who testified in the court said if the bombs were launched at any point within the city, the kill range would have been at a radius of 100 meters.
The court had imposed a 25-year sentence on Adan and Nane but considered the six years they have been in custody as the trial was ongoing hence the reasons they will only serve 19 years.
Nyawira was found guilty of forging a national ID card bearing the name Jirma Huka Galgalo (deceased) who was a member of al Shabab purposing it to be a genuine document.
Huka was an accused person in the case but died as the matter proceeded.
The document was to facilitate movement of the terrorists in the country, the court heard.
Adan and Nane were found guilty of nine counts including being al Shabaab members, planning to commit terror acts, and having weapons.
The terrorists were arrested in Merti, Isiolo County, on February 15, 2018, with a vehicle loaded with explosives en route to Nairobi.
Inside the Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) was a cache of weapons and explosives including 110 Trinitrotoluene (TNT) explosives, five AK47 riffles, 36 gun magazines, 36 unprimed hand grenades, 18 pairs of grenade primers, five military-grade projectiles, three modified Nokia phones and three military knives.
The arrest and subsequent recovery of the lethal weapons was a product of meticulous intelligence-led operation, which thwarted planned terrorist attacks, officials said.
Some of the key installations the terrorists planned to attack included the Parliament, Supreme Court, University of Nairobi (UoN), County Hall, Technical University of Kenya (TUK), Central Bus Station, Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Serena Hotel, Jeevanjee Gardens, and Milimani Law Courts.
Officials said jailing terrorists and their collaborators is a clear indication that actors in the criminal justice system are committed to fighting terrorism.
Kenya has been a victim of terrorism over years which left hundreds dead and others wounded.
Property has also been destroyed in the attacks.
The main gang behind the trend is Somalia’s al Shabaab who also have collaborators in the country.
Police say they have thwarted dozens of planned attacks in the country.
