Kenyan pleads guilty to grenade attacks
By Judy Ogutu, Standard, posted October 25, 2011
Appearing tired and unfazed, the self-confessed grenade bomber smiled and chatted with journalists as the cameras clicked away.
Mr Elgiva Bwire Oliacha, alias Mohamed Seif, stood in the dock as he was subjected to a five minute-photo session by the battery of journalists.
Clad in a maroon sweater and black jeans, the suspect was ushered into the Milimani Law Courts at exactly 3.07pm.
It was, however, not until 3.55pm that Nairobi Chief Magistrate Mr Gilbert Mutembei walked into the courtroom that Oliacha was read the charges.
He confessed to causing grievous harm to two people — Mr Justus Makau Mulwa and Mr Patrick Ndolo Kinyingi — on October 24 at the Kaka Bus Stage along Race-Course Road and also possessing dangerous weapons. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of engaging in organised criminal activity by being a member of an outlawed criminal group.
Further, he admitted being in possession of four firearms — an AK-47 rifle, a Sub-Machine Gun and two revolvers — without certificates.
He was found with the guns on October 25 at Kwa James Building in Kayole Estate Phase I.
Elgiva Bwire Oliacha at the Milimani Law Courts where he pleaded guilty to being a member of Al Shabaab and engaging in criminal activities. Photo: Ann Kamoni/Standard |
The suspect also pleaded guilty to being in possession of ammunition without the relevant certificate.
His admission comes just a day after his dramatic arrest at Kayole Estate in Nairobi on Tuesday where he was seized with 13 live hand grenades. Oliacha told the court clerk that he would answer to the charges in English, and proceeded to plead guilty to all the nine counts.
State prosecutor Ms Bridget Kanyai told the Magistrate that she had instructions from Mr Daniel Wachira, of the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), to apply to have Oliacha remanded at the Kilimani Police Station until Friday when facts of the case would be read out to him.
The ATPU, she added, wanted to carry out further investigations.
Police would wish to produce before court exhibits that were recovered at Kayole before the facts were read out. The case comes up on Friday.
Police arrested Oliacha on Tuesday and seized a cache of weapons after two grenade attacks in Nairobi.
On Monday, one person was killed in a grenade attack at a Nairobi bus stop hours after several others were wounded when a grenade was detonated in a bar.Bwire, aged 28 and from western Kenya, admitted guilt in court only to involvement in Monday night’s grenade attack at a bus station. Despite Bwire’s guilty plea, Al Shabaab leaders continue to deny responsibility for the attacks, which wounded more than two dozen people.
Kenya blames Al Shabaab for the recent spate of kidnappings of foreigners, but the hardline rebels have denied the accusation.
Source: Standard
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