Court detains police officer accused of recruiting youth to Al Shabaab in Tana River

Constable Hiribae Dima Hamisi was arraigned before Garsen Senior Resident Magistrate Geoffrey Kimanga on Friday where the court granted the prosecution’s application to continue holding the suspect for more days before preferring charges against him.

Prosecution Counsel Mercy Chomba informed the court that investigations will involve “visiting relatives and families of the youths who disappeared and are suspected to have been radicalized and recruited with the help of the suspect.”

“Senior Resident Magistrate Geoffrey Kimanga directed that police constable Hiribae Dima Hamisi be detained at a police station to enable the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) to conclude their investigation,” said the DPP’s office in a statement.

During court proceedings on Friday, an investigator told the court that there is credible information that the officer actively participated in the recruitment and radicalization of the youth in Tana River County who have since disappeared to join terror groups.

Two mobile phones suspected to have been used to facilitate radicalization were recovered from the suspect’s home within Garsen police station, according to the investigator.

The phones will be forwarded to the Anti-Terror Police Unite (ATPU) section in Nairobi for analysis and data extraction to facilitate prosecution.

The police officer is facing charges of committing the offence of recruitment of members of a terrorist group, contrary to Section 13(a) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 30 of 2012. 

“He is also suspected of being a member of a terrorist group, contrary to Section 24 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 30 of 2012,” said the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The matter will be mentioned on December 17, 2023.