A Nairobi court released Somali presidential candidate Nasa Ige, who had been detained for nearly two weeks over allegations of terrorism financing and being in possession of multiple passports.
Ige was freed by the Kahawa Law Courts after spending more than 10 days in custody following his arrest at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on February 11, shortly after arriving from Australia.
Officers from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) apprehended him and later sought orders to detain him for 30 days at its Nairobi headquarters to allow investigators to conclude inquiries.
Authorities alleged that Ige was involved in the provision of services for the commission of terrorist acts, contrary to Section 5(1) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2012, and the collection of information for the commission of terrorist acts, contrary to Section 29 of the Act.
An affidavit filed in court by an investigating officer said Ige was found with an iPhone 17 Pro Max (IMEI numbers 355948391406718 and 355948390900323) paired with a Safaricom line.
He was also found with a Somali diplomatic passport (No. D00019402) and an Australian passport (No. RA6716271). Preliminary investigations, police said, indicated he also held a New Zealand passport (No. LH995996).
Investigators told the court they suspected Ige was providing funds to the Al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia.
They also argued he was a flight risk, citing that his family resides in Somalia, Australia and New Zealand, and maintained that his release would be detrimental to the investigations. ATPU also sought orders authorising its ICT laboratory to conduct a forensic examination of electronic gadgets recovered from him.
However, during proceedings, the court heard that the New Zealand Embassy and the Australian High Commission had confirmed that the passports issued by their respective countries were valid, while confirmation from the Somali Embassy regarding the diplomatic passport was still pending.
Ige’s lawyer, Alex Kubo, told the court his client had cooperated with investigators and maintained his innocence.
“My client is as clean as a whistle. There is no evidence linking him to any terrorist financing or wrongdoing,” Kubo submitted.
The court subsequently ordered Ige’s release as investigations continue. Somalia is expected to hold its presidential elections on May 16, 2026.
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