Elderly Woman Slapped With 5-Year Jail Term For Operating Business Of Suspected Al-Shabaab Operative

NAIROBI,Kenya, Nov, 27 – 64 year-old Rose Awinja Ondumbu has been sentenced to five years in jail under police supervision after she was found guilty of operating a known terrorist’s property.

The property is said to have been owned by her deceased son, Anwar Yogan Mwok who is said to have been killed in Somalia by the Kenya Defence Forces.

The property in question was identified as Nasra Gardens.

It is alleged that between December 1 2013 and March 2017 at Umoja Estate in Nairobi county she knowingly dealt directly with the property which at the time was owned by Mwok.

Appearing before Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot a teary Ondumbu was initially charged in 2017 with two counts of operating a property owned by terrorists and collection of funds for the benefit of terrorists.

Cheruiyot said he considered the mitigation and the nature of the offence which is serious before issuing her ruling. Further noted that the accused was elderly and was the guardian to her grandchildren.

“I have noted that she is also a victim of terrorism and that her family is broken,she is also suffering from old age sicknesses “‘ruled Cheruiyot.

The accused was however acquitted of the second count of collection of funds for the benefit of terrorism through collecting house rent and sending to her son Anwar in Somalia knowingly that she was funding the terrorism group.

The prosecution was told that it did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt the allegations.

Ondumbu is out on bail pending a full determination of the case on December,7,2021.

It is yet to be established the arrangements that will be made on how she will be detained while serving the five years.

Meanwhile the property has been forfeited to the state.