Wednesday February 1, 2017
By MANASE OTSIALO
Frankline Mutuma when he appeared in a Mandera court on January 31, 2017. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
A 20-year-old man charged with attempting to sneak into Somalia has pleaded guilty before a Mandera law court.
Mr Frankline Mutuma from Meru County, was arrested on January 21 at about 5:30pm along the Kenya-Somalia border.
State counsel Kennedy Amwayi said the accused was arrested by police manning the borderline.
Information at the court registry indicates police were granted 14 days to investigate Mr Mutuma and another suspect identified as Mohamed Ismael Abdullahi.
Police charged Mr Mutuma for failing to produce Mr Abdullahi who was said to be aiding in illegal exit.
While presenting the facts, Mr Amwayi said the accused told the Anti-Terror Police (ATPU) that he was headed to Afmadow in Somalia for greener pastures.
“During the interviews, it was established that the accused person is a Kenyan citizen from Meru County and was attempting to exit Kenya through an illegal point to Somalia,” said Mr Amwayi.
The state counsel told the court that the accused did not possess any valid travel documents that could warrant him to travel to Somalia.
“He did not have any academic documents that could aid him in securing a white collar job in Somalia when he was arrested,” said Mr Amwayi.
He argued that the accused was arrested at an area not gazetted as official exit or entry point.
The accused confirmed to the court that facts presented by prosecution were true.
A seemingly unperturbed, he chose to remain silent in mitigation.
The matter will be mentioned on February 1, for judgment. He is being remanded at Mandera GK Prison.