By Collins Wanzallah
Police in the coastal city of Mombasa have released the identity of a woman who allegedly used her social media platforms to link former Mombasa Governor Ali Joho and his brother to drug trafficking. She also reportedly connected the two to fraudulent activities in the Mombasa County government.
The woman, Matilda Maodo, allegedly linked Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho and his brother Abubakar Ali Joho, popularly known as Abuu, to the loss of Ksh 40 billion from the Mombasa County government, drug trafficking, and theft of containers from the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Mombasa. She’s expected to take a plea on October 3.
Mombasa senior resident magistrate David Odhiambo issued directions for the suspect to appear personally in court for plea taking on the mentioned date. Matilda’s lawyer, Michael Oloo, requested the lifting of a warrant of arrest issued against her after she failed to appear before the court to plead to the charges on Monday. Oloo informed the court that her client (Matilda) was unwell and unable to appear in court.
The magistrate set aside the warrant of arrest and ordered her to be released on a bond of Ksh 700,000 with one similar surety. Alternatively, she was ordered to pay a cash bail of Ksh 300,000 as she awaited to be arraigned in court. According to police investigating the case, the suspect is a senior employee at Grain Bulk Handlers Ltd., which changed its name to Bulk Stream. According to court documents, the suspect, in her statement to police, stated that she has worked with the company as a senior employee for several years.
She further informed police that the information that she shared on her social media platforms was from a credible source, and at the time she released it on her WhatsApp account, she believed it was not meant to damage the reputation of Joho or his elder brother Abuu. The accused is facing charges of publishing false information under Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crime Acts. According to detectives, the suspect is believed to have used her WhatsApp to share false information about CS Joho and his elder brother following the nomination of Joho to the position of cabinet secretary on diverse dates between August 12 and August 15, 2024.
