Mohamed Abduba Dida: How Ex-Presidential Candidate Wound Up Serving Jail Term In US
Dida is currently incarcerated at the Big Muddy River Correctional Center in Illinois, where he is serving multiple sentences for serious offences
Mohamed Abduba Dida, a former teacher who previously vied for Kenya's political office, the Presidency on two occasions, is serving a seven-year sentence in a prison in the United States (US).
Dida is currently incarcerated at the Big Muddy River Correctional Center in Illinois, where he is serving multiple sentences for serious offences, including stalking and violating a restraining order. Identified as inmate number Y51285, he was sentenced for two separate charges.
The first, classified as stalking and transmitting threats, earned him a 2-year prison sentence. The second was for aggravated stalking and violating a restraining order, which resulted in a 5-year sentence.
Sentenced on November 18, 2022, Dida is expected to leave the facility on April 3, 2029. The identity of Dida’s victim remains unknown at the time of publishing this article.
Aerial view of Big Muddy River Correctional Center in Illinois, USA. /GOOGLE MAPS
The witty character's woes began following his arrest in Illinois, USA, for committing the offence. After he was convicted, Dida filed petitions in court, complaining of not receiving medical attention and inability to access educational or vocational programmes.
In a ruling on May 29, 2024, United States Magistrate Judge Gilbert Sison ordered a probe to be carried out to establish whether Dida's claims were valid. The court, however, dismissed his allegations, citing that his claims were not supported by the law.
This prison sentence marked a remarkable fall from grace for Dida, who burst into the limelight in the run-up to the 2013 general elections thanks to his straight-talking nature, and following his surprise entry to the presidential race, he won over Kenyans with his antics.
Early Life & Political Career
Born in Wajir Town in 1975, Dida is renowned for his teaching career, where he taught English literature and Religion at Dadaab Secondary School in the North Eastern region, and later Lenana School, Nairobi.
In 2009, he resigned from teaching to venture into business. Four years later, he joined the presidential race in the final lap, announcing his candidature a month before the election on an (Alliance for Real Change) ARC party ticket.
He pegged his campaign on the promise of ridding the country of corruption and good governance, and many saw him as a man who could disrupt the two-horse race pitting Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga at the time.
It was the presidential debate broadcast by major media houses that made Dida an overnight celebrity as his responses to governance issues like corruption in a witty manner perhaps predicting the robust nature of technology and Gen Z to come in the future, which impressed several viewers.
To Dida, the election was akin to the Battle of the Valley of Elah, and he was a reincarnation of the Israelite shepherd David. In an interview with Citizen TV, Dida said that much like David, he would stroll into the battle at the tail end, hurl one stone and floor Goliath, which in this case was all other presidential candidates, including Kenyatta and Odinga.
“Kenya is too small for me, gentlemen. I can man the five continents, and I have the potential and sincerity… I came late, nimekuja mwisho na nitarusha tu moja na itaisha. The programme is 15 days for my campaign. I am just relaxing for five more days…,” Dida said in the February 2013 Citizen TV interview before hitting the road for campaigns.
The election did not really mirror the Battle of the Valley of Elah though he managed to outwit political heavyweights in the race, finishing above NARC-Kenya's Martha Karua and Paul Muite. Dida got 54,840 votes against Karua's 43,881 votes and Muite's 12,580 votes.
Dida attempted to vie for a second time in the 2017 elections, this time around campaigning for change across all sectors of the country. He emerged fourth, amassing 38,093 votes which translated to 0.25 per cent of the total votes cast.
After his failed quests for the presidency, he kept a low profile with his X account occasionally issuing updates. It is still unclear whether Dida had relocated to the US, or was just visiting when he committed the offences.
Candidate participating in the 2013 presidential debate. /FILE
Petition
On April 15, 2024, Dida filed a petition against Kimberly Hvarre, the Big Muddy Correctional Center warden, for alleged violation of his right to practise Islam. Judge Gilbert C. Sison said in his ruling that it was unclear whether Dida’s petition was filed under the US Constitution’s First Amendment or the Religious Land Use and Institutionalised Persons Act (RLUIPA).
However, the judge appreciated that Dida has raised triable issues as religion is recognised in both the First Amendment and RLUIPA.
The only distinction is who can be sued, depending on which limb of law Dida intends to rely on. The judge said that the court will determine the correct parties to come in as defendants, and then ensure that they are served with the petition.
The judge is expected to set a hearing date after the appropriate respondents have entered appearance in the case and filed their preliminary responses.
Dida claimed in the petition that between April and October 2022, he was incarcerated at the East Moline Correctional Center where he was only allowed to pray once every Friday in the facility’s church.
At the South Western Correctional Center where Dida was held between December 2022 and January 2023, he was only allowed some prayers. After reaching a local arrangement with the South Western chaplain, Dida was granted a little extra room.
Dida alleged that one day during prayer time, he was handcuffed by officers before being forced to strip and eventually transferred to Big Muddy. At Big Muddy, he spent a month in segregation, and it was here that his prison sentence was increased.
Currently, Dida is a volunteer Imam at Big Muddy and is allowed to pray once every Friday.