A Man was on Wednesday arraigned before a Mandera Court to answer to charges of allegedly being a member of Al Shabaab.
The court heard that the suspect, Mr Samuel Kairo Njenga, was recruited by Al Shabaab and was on his way to join the terror group in Somalia.
The accused person was arrested on May 7 while at Koromey on the outskirts of Mandera town by police reservists.
Mr Stephen Opondo, an ATPU police officer based in Mandera, told the court that at the time of the arrest, the accused was found with his Kenyan identity card and passport.
Mr Opondo said Mr Njenga had all the valid documents to allow him cross into Somalia, but he failed to report at the immigration offices to secure permission to exit.
According to Mr Opondo, the accused person noted that he was headed to Somalia to secure employment when he was arrested.
The accused person, however, denied the charges and told the court that he was borrowing bus fare from a woman who called the police reservists who arrested him.
The state counsel, Mr Allen Mulama filed an application to have the accused detained for 14 days to allow the police complete their investigations.
Mr Mulama told the court that the accused arrived in Mandera from Mombasa where he had stayed after his return from Tanzania on an unknown mission.
“We are applying for 14 days to hold and investigate the intention of the respondent being found at Koromey area trekking to Arabia along the Kenya-Somalia border,” said Mr Mulama as quoted by Nation.
“Being found along the dangerous Mandera-Arabia route is a sign that his recruiters were coming for him and that they were in communication with him. The police need time to confirm this,” he added.
The court granted the application and ordered for the accused to be detained at the Mandera Police Station for 14 days.
The case will be mentioned on May 22.