Moses Kabali was found guilty by the Kahawa Magistrate Court, where he faced charges of hoaxing under Section 26 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 30 of 2012.
Kabali was accused of writing a false email to the Interpol General Secretariat in France, requesting them to alert Kenyan security agencies, specifically the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), about an imminent terrorist attack.
In the email sent on June 30, 2024, Kabali further claimed that two individuals known to him, along with other unidentified terror operatives, were planning to carry out an attack in Kenya using improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The prosecution informed the court that once the ATPU was alerted, its detectives launched investigations, leading to the arrest of a female suspect whose phone number was mentioned in Kabali’s report. However, the subsequent investigations revealed that the alert was false and misleading.
“Upon questioning, she disclosed that the phone number in question had been registered using her ID card but was being used by her cousin. A manhunt for the cousin ensued, and she was arrested in Eastleigh, Jam Street, on August 31, 2024. However, further investigations confirmed that she had no links to any terrorist group and was unaware of any planned attack,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement.
Kabali was arrested on September 3, 2024, at the California Group of Schools in Eastleigh. A search of his residence led to the seizure of two mobile phones, two laptops, and various documents.
Forensic analysis at the Anti-Terrorism Forensic Laboratory revealed that Kabali was the author of the email, which was found to have originated from his Yahoo mail account.
“It was further established that Kabali had sent the malicious email to the Interpol General Secretariat in France out of anger, intending to punish his wife after their separation,” DCI added.
Kabali was subsequently arraigned in court to face the charges. Chief Magistrate Gideon Kiage sentenced him to five years in prison with an alternative fine of Ksh5 million (approximately Frw 52 million).
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