Mohamed Abdi Ali and Hussein Abdille Mohamed in court./HANDOUTTwo men have been convicted in connection with the 2019 DusitD2 terror attack in Nairobi, which claimed 21 lives and left dozens injured and traumatised.
Mohamed Abdi Ali and Hussein Abdille Mohamed were found guilty on two terror-related charges: conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and facilitation of a terrorist act.
The ruling was delivered at the Kahawa Law Courts by Justice Diana Kavedza. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 19, 2025. The prosecution was led by Duncan Ondimu.
Investigations revealed that Mohamed Abdi Ali played a critical role in financing the attackers. He was arrested on April 19, 2019, in Mandera, where he operated as an informal forex trader.
Mohammed Abdi Ali having a conversation with a court interpreter at Kahawa Law Courts during the judgments where the two were charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act at the Dusit D2 that left 21 dead and scores injured on May 22, 2025. /DOUGLAS OKIDDY
The funds were used for surveillance of targets in Nairobi and to purchase materials used in the attack.
He also transferred Sh130,700 to suspects linked to the foiled Merti VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) plot.
Mohamed, who claimed to be supporting three wives and 20 children, had operated a mobile forex stand at Soko La Sarafu market on the Kenya-Ethiopia border for eight years.
He exchanged Ethiopian Birr and US dollars into Kenyan shillings and conducted mobile money transfers for clients, profiting through unofficial exchange rates and commissions.
He told investigators he had received $3,000 from a Somali elder he could not identify, which he transferred to a contact number linked to terror activities.
Hussein Abdille Mohamed was arrested on January 31, 2019, also in Mandera.
Hussein Mohamed Abdille Ali and Mohammed Abdi Ali at Kahawa Law Courts before High Court Judge Diana Mochache during the judgments where the two were charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act at the DusitD2 that left 21 dead and scores injured on May 22, 2025./DOUGLAS OKIDDY
Abdille was also connected to operatives behind the failed Merti VBIED attack and provided accommodation to militants involved in the plot.
He received a photograph of one of the attackers from a Somalia-based al-Shabaab contact and was instructed to forge a school ID using the image. He was also told to send a parcel to Kemunto after her escape.
Kenya has faced repeated attacks from terror groups like al-Shabaab, and the convictions mark a key milestone in efforts to combat terrorism.
The prosecution described the outcome as a win in the ongoing fight to dismantle terror networks.
