A Kenyan court has allowed a Muslim cleric to remain in custody for about a month after he appealed to that effect over fears that he may be hunted down and killed or kidnapped when he leaves jail.
Guyo Gorsa Buru was acquitted of terrorism charges and was due to have been released but claimed he fears for his life.
Buru said he could be targeted for murder or kidnapping should he be allowed to walk out of jail like other terror suspects.
The cleric was charged in 2018 with possession of dangerous material and affiliation to the Somali militant sect al-Shabaab but a court has failed to upheld the state’s case against him with a magistrate concluding that there was no sufficient evidence linking him and the Islamist group.
Buru’s lawyer had requested the Kenyan High Court to grant his client state protection once he was freed and this was granted but on condition that he pays for his continuing time at the Kamiti prison.
WN/as/APA