Lawyer Chacha Mwita in a past photo
A prominent lawyer was among three people who were Wednesday charged with terrorism at the Kahawa Law Courts, Nairobi.
The three individuals—lawyer Andrew Chacha Mwita, Mariam Ali Abdalla, and Stephen Kiveve Musembi—appeared before magistrate Gideon Kiage.
The charges include collecting or providing property and services for terrorist acts, in violation of Section 5(1) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and dealing in property owned or controlled by terrorist groups, contrary to Section 8(1) of the same Act.
In the first case, lawyer Andrew Chacha Mwita is accused of helping transfer funds from a cryptocurrency account linked to the Islamic State East Africa through his M-Pesa account.
He faces two counts under Section 5(1) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
After pleading not guilty to both charges, he received a personal bond of Sh5 million, with two contact persons provided.
His miscellaneous application was later closed, and the case is set for mention and disclosures on January 20, 2026.
Mariam Ali Abdalla also faces two counts for dealing in property owned or controlled by terrorist groups.
It is alleged that on August 22, 2024, she facilitated a funds transfer via her mobile number, having reasonable grounds to believe that the money was linked to the Islamic State (IS) East Africa Cell.
After her not guilty plea, the prosecution opposed her bond application.
She was remanded at Lang’ata Women’s Prison, awaiting a bond ruling scheduled for December 8, 2025.
Stephen Kiveve Musembi was charged with two counts after investigators claimed that on October 14, 2024, he facilitated a money transfer through a mobile number registered to an account connected to IS East Africa Cell operations.
Like his co-defendants, Musembi pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently held at Kamiti Prison.
The court has set December 15, 2025, for a ruling regarding his bail, pending the preparation of a pre-bail probation report.
These cases demonstrate Kenya’s ongoing efforts to fight terrorism financing and dismantle networks linked to extremist groups, officials said.
The three were among those arrested in a swoop. Mwita was arrested in Mombasa town on November 14, 2025, on allegations of soliciting and supporting terrorist groups.
Following his arrest, he was transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) headquarters in Nairobi on November 15, 2025, for further investigation.
Mwita was among 22 individuals who fell into the dragnet of a counterterrorism operation targeting terror supporters, financiers, and beneficiaries in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kapseret, Moyale, and Marsabit.
This followed a sting operation led by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit for financing terrorism.
The operation also netted other suspects accused of facilitating radicalization, recruitment, and financing of terror activities nationwide.
