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Five Somalia nationals among them two young women who claimed to be university students were yesterday charged with being in the country illegally.

The accused persons namely Ali Ayan Salad, Nasro Mohamed Salad, Ismail Mahad Mohamed, Ahmed Muhamed Farah and Abdlaziz Salad Ali appeared before Eldoret Senior Resident Magistrate Mogire Onkoba and denied the charges through a court interpreter.

Inspecting officer

They were arrested on June 29 by police officers based at Tarakwa police station along the Eldoret-Nakuru highway while being ferried in a black Toyota Voxy registration number KCZ 911R.

Police Constable Phanuel Kaaria who is the inspecting officer in the matter asked the court to give them until Monday to complete their investigations against the accused persons that will cover among others, their nationality and mission in the country.

“Your honour, the accused persons did not produce any identification documents when we carried out a search on them but only gave us their names. Their intentions in the country are not yet known and we believe they are using proceeds of crime to fund terror groups,” stated Kaaria.

According to court documents, the accused persons were travelling from Malaba border to Nairobi when the police officers flagged them down at a road block that had been erected on the road.

The driver stopped a few metres away before jumping out of the vehicle and fleeing on foot leaving behind the accused persons.

Kaaria further told the court that they are yet to submit the mobile phones they confiscated from the accused persons to Anti-Terrorism Police Unit Information Communication and Technology laboratory for forensic analysis in Nairobi.

“Your honour, we are to subject the accused persons to a multi-agency team drawn from National Intelligence Service, Kenya Defence Forces,

Military Intelligence, Directorate of Immigration Services, National Registration  Bureau , Interpol among other security stakeholders,” said Kaaria.

Persons detained

The court ordered that the accused persons be detained at Eldoret Central Police Station.

The magistrate told the accused persons that they will be given the privilege of sending somebody to buy food of their choice and mineral water from outside the police station.

This was after they raised complaints over lack of clean drinking water and food at the cells where they have been held since their arrest six days ago.

Onkoba ruled that the case will be mentioned on Monday when he will give further directions.