Five Kenyan stone miners were Wednesday sentenced to 10 years in jail for attempting to join the Al Shabaab militia group in Somalia.
The five - David Mburu, John Odhiambo, Pius Wambua, Nicholas Mukhoma and Peter Wainaina - were found guilty of traveling to Somalia in November last year without passing through a designated immigration point, with the court ruling that they intended to join Al Shabaab.
“I have found each of the accused persons guilty as charged and I proceed to convict them under section 215 of Criminal Procedure Court (CPC),” Mandera Senior Resident Magistrate Peter Areri stated.
The Mandera court further extended an arrest warrant of a sixth suspect, Mr Leosina Wanyonyi, who escaped after the court released them on a personal bond of Sh100,000 each on January 18.
The accused admitted to have been arrested on November 11, while stranded in Bulahawa town, Somalia, but argued that they had lost their way to their work station.
Upon their arrest and intervention by Mr Jama Hussein Maalim, the owner of Fiqo quarry where the accused persons worked, the six were handed over to Kenyan authorities.
Mr Maalim had initially been arrested and charged with facilitating the men's mission to join Al-Shabaab but the prosecution dropped the case after making him a witness.
The accused have 14 days to appeal against the ruling.
