From right: Four Mombasa residents Abdul Hassan, Hajj Babu Achkobe, Esther Muthoni and Violent Adera at Shanzu Court on September 23, 2024, where they were charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Mombasa blogger.
Thursday, September 12, started like any other day for Blogger BJK.
Oblivious of what lay ahead, he got up early, eager to sift through the latest news in search of a hot topic for his online blog.
Little did he know that lurking beneath the surface was a danger that would haunt him forever.
BJK ended up abducted and allegedly sodomised by people linked to the Mombasa County government, according to documents filed before a Mombasa court.
Before September 12, BJK had shared a video on TikTok, criticising Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir.
This clip went viral, and its contents are believed to have angered the governor's supporters, judging by the shared comments and audio clips.
So on the material day at 8am, as BJK was preparing to begin the day as usual, uninvited guests, a gang, made its way into his house.
He says he could identify some of them since they had been together in the political arena.
The gang convinced him that they were taking him to a hotel in town so that he could apologise to Mr Nassir regarding the video he had posted on his TikTok.
They informed BJK that the content of his video was damaging the reputation of the Mombasa county boss.
Unaware of any danger ahead, BJK cooperated and left his house with the gang, who rode on a fleet of motorcycles.
“He was sandwiched between a rider and another pillion passenger. There was an escort of about six other motorcycles, each with pillion passengers on board,” Corporal Irene Karuga, who is attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, said in an affidavit submitted to Shanzu Court last week.
Upon arrival at the hotel, BJK encountered a black Toyota Vitz, where he was forced inside and sandwiched in the back seat.
He was then driven to a location where he says he could only see a standard gauge (SGR) railway station building.
Here, BJK was allegedly assaulted by the gang and subjected to unnatural acts. This ordeal lasted several minutes as BJK pleaded with the gang to spare his life.
Sexual assault
However, the determined gang continued with the sexual assault, shouting at him to keep quiet. While BJK writhed in pain, his attackers laughed as they rejoiced in the inhumane act.
Some members of the gang were also recording videos of the heinous act.
They filmed this inhumane act as a means to ensure his silence and to dissuade him from reporting the matter to the police or discussing the ordeal or else they shame him in public.
After they finished with the vile act, the gang dressed and covered BJK with a sack.
They then forced him into the boot of the black Toyota Vitz.
“BJK was driven around, and upon arriving in the Mwakirunge area, he was dumped unconscious,” said Ms Karuga.
The gang left the victim covered in a sack fighting for his life after realising he was unconscious and disappeared.
Though the gang believed they had completely immobilised BJK, he still managed to spot a boda boda rider whom he requested to take him to his house so he could retrieve his phone and report the incident, as well as request assistance.
BJK told the police that after the gang had finished sexually assaulting him, he overheard a phone conversation in which someone informed him that they had finished the job.
“The gang was directed to stay with the complainant the entire day and night. They were also to receive some money for their dinner and other luxury spending during the operation,” said the officer in her court documents.
The rider who dropped off BJK was paid by a Good Samaritan, who also advised him to seek medical attention.
It has also emerged through documents filed in court that BJK could not get quick medical services at the public health facilities he visited. He was forced to seek services at a private hospital.
He had initially visited a private hospital for quick medical intervention but was referred to government health facilities.
“BJK visited a private facility but was referred to a government facility where he didn't receive assistance. He ended up visiting another private facility where he was treated and discharged the following day due to security concerns,” said Ms Karuga in an affidavit filed in court.
In this affidavit, the detective informed the court that she intends to send the mobile phones seized from four suspects to Nairobi for forensic analysis at the Digital Forensic Laboratory.
She aims to extract short message service (SMS) communications, WhatsApp chats, call logs, direct message communications, Signal chats/call logs, Telegram chats/call logs, regular calls, and any other communications related to the investigation into the abduction and gang rape of the blogger.
"Most of the communications before, during and after the incident are suspected to have been shared or made over the phone, either in WhatsApp, video calls or messages, so there is a need to access the communications between the accused phones that were seized during the arrest for the period from 1 September 1 to September 20," she said.
After receiving medical treatment at the private facility, BJK reported the incident to the police.
Commit a felony
Mr Abdul Hassan Athman, alias Sindimba, and Haji Babu Ndau Mohamed, alias Achkobe, alias Jay, Ms Esther Muthoni John, alias Totoo, and Ms Violet Adera, alias Vayoo were then arrested and charged with the offences of abduction and gang rape.
The suspects have been jointly charged with the offence of conspiracy to commit a felony, where the state alleged that the four suspects conspired to abduct BJK.
They are also charged with the offence of abduction with intent to confine.
The court heard that the suspects abducted the victim at the Bamburi Jitegemee area in Kisauni. Athman and Mohamed are separately charged with the offence of gang rape.
The two were also charged with the offence of assault causing actual bodily harm. The court heard that the two suspects assaulted the blogger using kicks and fists, thereby causing him actual bodily harm. The four suspects however denied the charges.
They are currently being detained at Shimo La Tewa Remand Prison.
Mombasa County Executive Committee Member for Lands Hussein Mohamed is among senior county government employees who have been arrested over the abduction and gang rape of the blogger.
Mr Hussein was Monday presented before the Shanzu court but he was not charged after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the DCI were served with an order barring his arrest, detention and interference with the freedom of the Land CEC, who was over the weekend apprehended over the heinous act against the Mombasa blogger.
However, Justice Wendy Kagendo, who issued the orders clarified that the order did not stop the DCI from conducting investigations concerning the abduction and gang rape of the blogger.
Governor Nassir and his mother are among those expected to record statements with the police over the incident.
On Monday, Mr Nassir held a press conference to distance himself from the crime against BJK.
The governor confirmed that he had received a police summons, but claimed that his political opponents had used the unfortunate incident to tarnish his name and that of his family, who were now being unfairly dragged into the matter.
“Throughout my life, neither I nor any of my family members have ever crossed the line of meting out any form of violence against anyone. We have been abused before but I have never fought back with insults,” he said at his office while flanked by ODM MPs Badi Twalib (Jomvu) and Mohamed Machele (Mvita) among other leaders.
The detectives have at the same time confirmed that one of the suspects Athman Alias Sindimba is not a Kenyan but a Tanzanian national.
The police have produced documents in court to prove this, asking the court to consider the same before determining whether he can be granted bail.
