Abdulswamad and his mother face allegations related to the rape of a blogger.

Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir, alongside his mother and several top county officials, faces possible arrest over allegations of facilitating the gang rape of a local blogger.

This follows claims made by the blogger Bruce John alias “Chawa 001” who accused individuals connected to the governor of abducting and assaulting him.

In a sworn affidavit presented to Shanzu Resident Magistrate Robert Mbogo, Police Corporal Irene Karuga of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detailed the ongoing investigation.

From left Haji Babu Ndau Mohammed, Abdul Hassan,Esther Muthoni alias Totoos, Violet Adera alias Vyaoo before the Shanzu law court the suspects are facing several charges among them abduction, gang rape, conspiracy to commit a felony and assault.

According to Karuga, efforts to apprehend additional suspects are underway, including Nassir, his mother, and other senior high-ranking county officials.
Karuga told the court that her investigation involves serious criminal offences, including abduction (contrary to Section 259 of the Penal Code), gang rape, and conspiracy to commit a felony. The crimes, she alleges, are among other offences allegedly facilitated by the county boss and his associates.

“The complaint was filed by an online blogger known for his critical posts on Mombasa County politics. He alleges that he was abducted by individuals he recognised after a post he had made, and he ended up being sodomised and later dumped in areas of Mwakirunge while fighting for his life,” Karuga stated.
The court heard that intelligence gathered by detectives suggests that Nassir and his allies may have been aiding some of the suspects to evade arrest.

First arrest

“We have managed to establish that there has been communication that has been going on following the first arrest, where it is reported that there were more than fifteen suspects involved; hence, releasing them will interfere with the on-going investigations,” she informed the court.

She argued that releasing the suspects on bond could not only interfere with the investigations but also endanger public safety, given the high-profile nature of the case. “The incident is of public interest, and releasing the respondents would pose a threat to their own lives,” she told the magistrate.

Forensic procedure

Karuga further informed the court that DNA analysis of the suspects was pending and releasing them would hinder crucial forensic procedures necessary to compare DNA samples with those collected from the victim.

She recounted the difficulties law enforcement agents had faced in apprehending the four suspects who appeared in court, namely Abdul Hassan, Haji Babu Ndau, Esther Muthoni (alias Totoos), and Violet Adera (alias Vyaoo), due to interference from county officials.