Blame game over 14 Riverside attack as Judiciary comes under fire

Two days after the terrorist attack at the 14 Riverside office and hotel complex, there are claims that the courts may have played a role in motivating the attackers.

According to the Inspector General of Police, Joseph Boinett, all the five terrorists were killed at 14 Riverside and several arrests made elsewhere as investigations continue to unearth shocking details of how it was planned.

Speaking to CitizenDigital earlier this week, Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja said he had received credible information that one of the attackers involved in the terrorist attack at 14 Riverside was released from police custody a day before.

He was freed after the courts failed to find enough evidence to charge him with a previous crime.

The Senator said that together with other leaders they have prompted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to probe how the said suspect got involved in the Dusit attack barely 24hours after being set free.

“We are worried….some of these people we keep in remand because their cases are going on for too long… when you keep them in remand they interact with petty offenders creating a fodder for recruitment,” he said.

It took five years for the courts to find that three Westgate suspects had a case to answer.

On January 14, 2019, a Nairobi court ruled that Mohamed Ahmed Abdi, Liban Abdullahi Omar and Hussien Hassan Mustafah would stand trial for the killing of 71 people at Westgate mall five years ago.

One suspect was however freed. A day later, gunmen descended on the 14 Riverside complex.

On Thursday, Kenyans took to social media lashing out at the Judiciary over slow decisions on cases and letting suspects linked to heinous crimes go scot free.

Through #JudiciaryAidingTerrorism they expressed their anger with some saying the courts should have a strict policy when trying such cases.

If our courts can change how they handle terror cases then we will be much better #JudiciaryAidingTerrorism

— Kibet Benard (@KibetBenard_) January 17, 2019

I don't think it's fair to blame the JUDICIARY. I know you're thinking like there are terrorists they should be facing life imprisonment.
I believe the police and judiciary should work together with judiciary to find ENOUGH INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE..#JudiciaryAidingTerrorism

— Wanjiku Mugane (@wanjikumugane) January 17, 2019

This spot on. The driver of a vehicle carrying explosives and weapons that was intercepted en route to trying to attack Nairobi last February told police that members of his team (some or whom may have taken part in the #RiversideAttack) slipped across border by bribing officers. https://t.co/0hMJtJ8pCM

— Adrian Blomfield (@adrianblomfield) January 17, 2019

This comes even as the courts prepare to hear the case of 5 suspects linked to the Garissa University terrorist attack in 2015.

According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP); Charles Mberesero, Mohamed Ali Abdikar, Hassan Aden Hassan, Sahal Diriye and Osman Abdi are accused of conspiring to commit a terrorism act contrary to Section 23 (2) of the Prevention and Terrorism Act 2012.