A Ugandan national has been sentenced to five years in prison for sending a false email warning of an imminent terrorist attack in Kenya.
The Kahawa Chief Magistrate Court found Moses Kabali guilty of the offense under the Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 30 of 2012.
According to a statement by the DCI, Kabali emailed Interpol in France, claiming that a terrorist group was planning an attack in Kenya using Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) leading to investigations by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU).
The ATPU initially arrested a woman linked to a phone number found in Kabali’s report.
Upon questioning, she disclosed that the said phone number had been registered using her ID card but was being used by her cousin.
A manhunt for the said cousin ensued, and she was arrested in Eastleigh, Jam Street, on August 31, 2024. However, further investigations revealed that she had no links to any terrorist group and was unaware of any planned attack.
Kabali was arrested on September 3 at a school in Eastleigh. Police found two mobile phones, two laptops, and other documents at his home.
Forensic analysis confirmed that the hoax email came from Kabali’s Yahoo account.
In court, it was revealed that Kabali made the false threat out of anger towards his estranged wife.
He was ordered to pay Ksh5,000,000 or serve five years in prison.
