Sh1 million bounty for wanted Al Shabaab facilitator Francis Macharia Karishu

Wanted Al Shabaab facilitator Francis Macharia Karishu

The National Police Service (NPS) have launched a manhunt for Francis Macharia Karishu.

He is suspected to be an illegal documents facilitator who has been helping Al Shabaab terrorists fraudulently acquire Kenyan identity cards.

Police say Mr Karishu forged four Kenyan ID cards used by two terror suspects Abdimajit Hassan Adan and Mohamed Nane who were arrested with a bomb laded car in February 2018 in Meriti, Isiolo County.

The two who were planning to execute a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack within Nairobi managed to cross the Kenya-Somalia border using the fake IDs.

According to the police, the suspect operates a business by the name Paste Printers in Nairobi, within Ridges building along Luthuli Avenue, where he engages in the printing of fake identity cards, bank cheques, title deed forms, birth certificates and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education certificates among other documents.

Karishu’s accomplices in the fake document syndicate Lydiah Nyawira Mburu and John Maina Kiarii have since been arrested and charged with forgery of official documents contrary to section 351 of the Penal Code and facilitating activities of terrorist Groups contrary to section 9(1) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2012.

Following the arrest of his accomplices, Karishu closed his business and went into hiding.

The police are calling on the public to report to the nearest police station any information that may lead to Karishu’s arrest.