Kenyan Man Jailed for 20 Years for Conspiracy to Bomb KICC Building

A Kenyan man was on Friday sentenced to 20 years in prison after he was found guilty of conspiracy to bomb the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

Victor Odede Bwire was charged that jointly with others, he conspired to commit an act of terror at KICC. He faced a separate count of collecting information to aid a terror act.

This was after a forensic analysis of phones in his possession showed that he had sent information on KICC's security arrangement to contacts in Somalia.

The court heard that on the said date in Nairobi’s Umoja estate, Bwire collected and transmitted, information on the security arrangement of the KICC using his phone to the holder of a Facebook account Mohamed Yare Abdalla.

The information was intended for use in the commission of a terror act, the court was told.

Milimani Chief Magistrate Bernard Ochoi sentenced Bwire to 10 years imprisonment in count one and 20 years in the second count. The court ruled that the sentences will run concurrently.

In his ruling, the magistrate noted that had the attack been successful, the impact would have been dire.

The KICC building can accommodate up to 10,000 guests at a time, according to the pre-sentencing report.

The magistrate noted that the building houses VIPs, adding that it is an icon and landmark building in Kenya.

Bwire told the court that he had been duped into the act due to depression to make it in life and pleaded for a non-custodial sentence.