A Mombasa-based lawyer has been charged with receiving funds allegedly sent by an Islamic State East Africa cell to support a terrorist act.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) arraigned Andrew Chacha Mwita at the Kahawa Law Courts, where he faced two counts of collecting and providing resources to facilitate terrorism. The charges stem from separate transactions made in July and August 2024.
According to prosecutors, investigations traced Ksh 12,854 sent to Mwita’s mobile phone on 6 July 2024 from a Binance account reportedly operated by members of an Islamic State affiliate in the region.
A second transfer of Ksh 30,110 was recorded on 2 August 2024, allegedly from the same source.
The funds, the court was told, were intended to facilitate a terrorist act within or outside Kenya.
Mwita pleaded not guilty to both counts. He was released on a Ksh 5 million personal bond with two guarantors after the court declined to grant a request for stricter bail terms. The case will be mentioned on 20 January 2026.
Prosecutors argued that the gravity of the case lies not in the amount of money transferred but in the potential threat posed by terror financing networks.
They stated that even small transfers can be critical in enabling extremist groups to plan or execute attacks, especially in a region where Kenya has previously faced security threats from transnational militant organisations.
The court was further informed that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) urges member states to investigate and prosecute terror financing cases with the highest diligence.
Prosecutors said adherence to these international standards is essential for maintaining judicial integrity and enhancing Kenya’s cooperation with global security partners.
Kenya has strengthened its anti-terror financing framework over the past decade, including tighter monitoring of digital money platforms and financial transfers following previous attacks attributed to extremist groups.
The case against Mwita adds to ongoing efforts to disrupt local links to foreign terror networks.
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