Two terror suspects who had planned to bomb buildings in Nairobi were Thursday March 7 sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Abdimajit Hassan Adan was last month found guilty of being in possession of Improvised Explosive devices (IEDs) including seven projectile bombs and AK 47 rifles.
He was convicted together with Mohammed Osman Nane who will also serve 19 years in prison. An accomplice Lydia Nyawira Mburu will serve three years in prison.
Trial Magistrate Zainab Abdul said there is no doubt the offence committed were serious in nature.
The Magistrate said a non custodial sentence as had been prayed for by the convicts cannot be preferred.
A bomb expert who testified in the court said if the bombs were launched at any point within the city, the kill range would have been at a radius of 100 meters.
The court had imposed a 25 year sentence on Adan and Nane but considered the six years they have been in custody as the trial was ongoing hence the reasons they will only serve 19 years.
Nyawira was found guilty of forging a national ID card bearing the name Jirma Huka Galgalo (deceased) who was a member of al shabab purposing it to be a genuine document.
Huka was an accused person in the case but died as the matter proceeded.
The document was to facilitate movement of the terrorists in the country, the court heard.
Adan and Nane were found guilty of nine counts including being al Shabaab members, planning to commit terror acts and being in possession of weapons.
The terrorists were arrested in Merti, Isiolo County, on February 15, 2018, with a vehicle laded with explosives enroute to Nairobi.
Inside the Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) were cache of weapons and explosives including 110 Trinitrotoluene (TNT) explosives, five AK47 riffles, 36 gun magazines, 36 unprimed hand grenades, 18 pairs of grenade primers, five military grade projectiles, three modified Nokia phones and three military knives.
The arrest and subsequent recovery of the lethal weapons was a product of meticulous intelligence-led operation, which thwarted planned terrorist attacks, officials said.
Some of the key installations the terrorists planned to attack included Parliament, Supreme Court, University of Nairobi (UoN), County Hall, Technical University of Kenya (TUK), Central Bus Station, Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Serena Hotel, Jeevanjee Gardens and Milimani Law Courts.
Officials said jailing terrorists and their collaborators is a clear indication that actors in the criminal justice system are committed to fighting terrorism.
Kenya has been a victim of terrorism over years which left hundreds dead and others wounded. Property have also been destroyed in the attacks.
The main gang behind the trend are Somalia’s al Shabaab who also have collaborators in the country. Police say they have thwarted dozens of planned attacks in the country.