Lawyer Chacha Mwita arrested over alleged terror facilitation

Mwita, who was arrested in Mombasa over the weekend, is accused of facilitating terrorist acts and providing services to terrorist organizations.

He was subsequently transported to Nairobi, where he spent the weekend in police custody.

Prosecutors allege that investigations have linked Mwita to a recruitment network in the coastal region, purportedly assisting youths to join terrorist groups.

Detectives also claim that he used multiple mobile phone numbers to receive funds from Binance accounts allegedly connected to the financing of terrorist activities both locally and internationally.

James Machirah, representing the prosecution, outlined the charges before Principal Magistrate Gideon Kiage, while Mwita’s legal team strongly denied the allegations.

Advocates Lempaa Soyinka and Ayota Magati argued that providing legal representation to terror suspects is not a criminal act, describing the case as an attempt by the state to frustrate lawyers from offering their services to accused individuals.

Mwita is a veteran lawyer, well-known in Kenyan courts for defending clients facing terror-related charges over the past decade.

However, in a dramatic reversal of roles, he now faces the very charges he has spent years contesting on behalf of others.

Authorities have indicated that further arrests linked to terrorism and a cryptocurrency financing syndicate are ongoing.