A Somali national has found himself in trouble after being accused of stealing a national identity card and unlawfully using it to impersonate the owner and obtain registration with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
Hussein Abdirizak Mohamed was arraigned before Makadara Law Courts Senior Principal Magistrate Renee Kitagwa, where he pleaded not guilty to four counts. He was released on a cash bail of Sh200,000.
According to court documents, Mohamed is alleged to have impersonated Safie Ibrahim Warsame, a Kenyan citizen, on diverse dates between May 2007 and March 2026.
The accused, who is not a Kenyan citizen, is said to have used Warsame’s identity card to fraudulently register for an NTSA motor vehicle licence without lawful authority, while operating along Eastleigh’s Muratina Road.
The charges further state that Mohamed, being a foreigner, stole Warsame’s identity through a computer system or other electronic means, with intent to defraud.
Warsame, the complainant, left Kenya in 2007 to work for an NGO in Somalia for four years before moving to the United States for 14 years. He returned to Somalia and later came back to Kenya in March this year, where he discovered his identity card had been stolen from his sister’s house.
When he attempted to replace the card and renew his Safaricom line, he was informed the line had remained active throughout his absence. On calling the number, Mohamed answered and claimed he had been using it since 2008.
This prompted Warsame to report the matter to authorities, leading to the arrest and arraignment. [Lilian Chepkoech]