A Kahawa Law Courts magistrate has granted detectives a 14-day custodial order to detain prominent Mombasa-based lawyer Andrew Chacha Mwita as investigations into alleged terror financing intensify. The decision, delivered on November 19, 2025, allows the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) to continue probing the lawyer until December 1.
Mwita was arrested in Mombasa on November 14 before being transferred to the ATPU headquarters in Nairobi the following day. Detectives claim the veteran lawyer used multiple mobile phone numbers to receive funds from Binance accounts suspected to be linked to both local and international terrorist networks.
During proceedings, prosecution counsel James Machirah argued that investigators needed more time to analyse financial records, digital data, and communication logs tied to the alleged network. The State had sought a 20-day detention period.
Mwita’s legal team, led by advocates Lempaa Soyinka and Ayota Magati, strongly opposed the application, asserting that representing terror suspects is not a crime. They described the case as an intimidation tactic aimed at deterring lawyers from offering legal services to accused persons. Mwita, well known for defending clients in terror-related cases for more than a decade, denied all allegations.
His arrest is part of a broader counterterrorism operation targeting 22 individuals suspected of facilitating radicalisation, recruitment, and financing of extremist activities. The multi-agency sting spanned Nairobi, Mombasa, Kapseret, Moyale, and Marsabit.
Several other suspects have also appeared in court for similar custodial applications. Four individuals arrested in Nairobi were on Tuesday ordered detained for two weeks. Rulings for suspects picked up in Eldoret, Mombasa, and Marsabit are expected between November 25 and November 26.
According to ATPU officials, the operation disrupted one of the most sophisticated terror facilitation networks uncovered in recent years. Investigators say earlier arrests of about ten young recruits, allegedly en route to Somalia and Yemen, helped expose the wider structure of the network.
The case continues to draw significant public attention as authorities deepen inquiries into cross-border terror financing.
