A man accused of falsely claiming to be the son of a Kenyan woman has been ordered to put on his defence by the Milimani Law Courts.
Milimani Principal Magistrate Rose Ndombi ruled that Abdihakim Said Jama has a case to answer in relation to charges of obtaining registration by false pretences and being unlawfully present in Kenya.
I find that the prosecution has proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The accused person has a case to answer and will be placed on his defence,” Magistrate Ndombi declared.
The case took a dramatic turn during the hearing when Fatuma Mohamed, the woman Jama allegedly claimed as his mother, stunned the court with her testimony.
Fatuma, a resident of Burat in Isiolo County, firmly denied any relation to Jama.
“I met the accused for the first time in court. I don’t know him and have never met him before,” Fatuma told the court.
Jama was charged in 2023 for fraudulently acquiring a Kenyan national identity card by falsely identifying himself as Fatuma’s son.
In her testimony, Fatuma presented a list of her eight children and confirmed that Jama’s name did not appear on it.
She categorically disowned any blood relation to the accused.
She also recounted a visit by government officials to her home in June 2023.
They showed her a photograph of a man and asked whether she knew him.
“I did not recognize him. He is not my son,” she stated emphatically.
Supporting the prosecution’s case, businessman Abdi Aliow Issak, who serves on the Ngare Mara vetting committee, denied attending any 2011 meeting in which Jama was allegedly approved for a national ID.
He further questioned the authenticity of documents presented in court bearing the name “Abdi Aliow.”
Issak clarified that he always uses his full name,Abdi Aliow Issak, when signing official documents, unlike the partial name used in the disputed paperwork.
According to the prosecution, Jama is accused of providing false information to a public officer in Isiolo County between March and June 2011.
It is alleged that he presented forged documents to the area chief to fraudulently obtain a Kenyan identity card.
Further, the prosecution claims that Jama submitted a forged birth certificate (Entry No. L00906313/13, Serial No. 4208657), which actually belongs to another individual, alongside the fraudulently acquired ID card.
Jama is scheduled to appear in court on July 10, 2025, to present his defence against the charges.
