Lawyer Chacha Mwita charged with terror financing, freed on Sh5 million bail
Mwita, a prominent defence attorney known for representing terrorism suspects, appeared before the Kahawa Law Courts, where the prosecution charged him with two counts of collecting money for the commission of a terrorist act.
Lawyer Chacha Mwita was formally charged with terror-financing offences and granted cash bail after denying allegations linking him to extremist networks.
His arraignment followed days of investigations by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), which had held him in custody after his arrest in Mombasa over the weekend.
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Mwita, a prominent defence attorney known for representing terrorism suspects, appeared before the Kahawa Law Courts, where the prosecution charged him with two counts of collecting money for the commission of a terrorist act.
The State claims he received funds allegedly tied to the Islamic State East Africa Cell through two mobile-money transfers in July and August 2024.
Detectives further allege that their investigations connected Mwita to a suspected recruitment network along the coast and to cryptocurrency-based financing channels.
ATPU officers claim he used multiple phone numbers to receive funds from Binance accounts believed to be linked to individuals under scrutiny for international terrorism financing.
Mombasa lawyer charged with terrorism financing.
— Office of The Director Of Public Prosecutions (@ODPP_KE) December 4, 2025
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has charged a Mombasa-based lawyer with collecting and providing property and services to facilitate a terrorist act, contrary to Section 5(1) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Andrew… pic.twitter.com/EUwaNsThbC
Mwita, however, firmly denied all charges. His legal team, led by Advocates Lempaa Soyinka and Ayota Magati, dismissed the allegations as an unjustified attempt to criminalise his work as a lawyer.
They argued that representing clients accused of terrorism does not amount to aiding or participating in criminal activity.
After considering submissions from both sides, the court released Mwita on a bond of Sh 5 million with two sureties of a similar amount after concluding that the State had completed its initial investigations and that Mwita could face trial while out of custody.
The case has attracted wide public attention due to the seriousness of the allegations and Mwita's long-standing profile in terrorism-related litigation.
For more than a decade, he has been a familiar figure in cases involving suspects accused of extremism, making his own arraignment a striking development in Kenya's ongoing efforts to counter terror financing.
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