Anxiety as military courts condemn nine soldiers to life imprisonment

Some of the 25 ex-soldiers when they appeared before a court martial at the Kenya Navy base in Mtongwe, Mombasa. [Photo: File/Standard]

This week, military courts at the Mtongwe Naval Base in Mombasa stepped action against soldiers accused of deserting their military posts in wartime by sentencing eight to life imprisonment, sparking fear and anxiety among 18 detained former conscripts facing similar  charges.

Twenty-five former servicemen and an officer who left the military in 2007 and 2008 were detained at the Mtongwe naval base when they went to seek clearance documents earlier this year.