Mohamed Abduba Dida, the former teacher who twice ran for President and finished ahead of some established politicians, is serving a seven-year sentence in a US prison for stalking and threats.
Dida is detained at the Big Muddy Correctional Center in Illinois, where he has been held since November 18, 2022 after being found guilty of stalking and intimidating an unidentified individual in the Midwestern US state.
While the Nation was yet to confirm the identity of Dida’s victim by the time of going to press, information in the Big Muddy Correctional Center indicates that the former presidential candidate was found guilty on two separate charges.
The offences were committed in Mclean County, in Illinois.
In the first charge, Dida was found guilty of one count of stalking and transmitting threats to his victim. For this, he was sentenced to two years in prison.
In the second charge, Dida was found guilty of one count of aggravated stalking and violation of a restraining order which barred him from approaching or talking to his victim.
For this charge, Dida was sentenced to seven years in prison.
He was jailed in July, 2021 but the sentence stretched under unclear circumstances.
Dida is tentatively to walk out of prison on April 3, 2029.
A petition the former presidential candidate has filed seeking freedom to practise his religion reveals that Big Muddy is the third facility to hold Dida.
The prison sentence marks a sharp turn for the man who once sold morality and a corruption-free State in his failed quest for presidency.
With barely a month to the March, 2013 General Election, Dida was revealed as the newest entrant in the race for State House, representing the Alliance for Real Change alongside his running mate Joshua Odongo.
A virtually unknown Kenyan from Wajir County and not affiliated with any nationally popular political party, he hoped to disrupt the two-horse race pitting Uhuru Kenyatta against Raila Odinga.
A presidential debate broadcast by most major media houses tilted the scales, and made Dida an overnight celebrity as his responses to governance issues like corruption impressed several viewers.
To Dida, the election was akin to the Battle of the Valley of Elah, and he was a reincarnation of 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.
To some, Dida was a straight shooter while to others, he was a tad arrogant and overambitious. Either way, a star had been born.
“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 mirror the battle of the Valley of Elah as Dida finished fifth with 54,840 votes. But his performance was better than that of two established politicians in former Justice minister Martha Karua (43,881 votes) and former Kabete MP Paul Muite (12,580 votes).
In the campaign trail, Dida hit the headlines again when he declined to receive two police officers assigned to him, instead demanding 20 security personnel. The demand was rejected.
This time, Dida finished fourth with 38,004 votes and better than one established politician in former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo.
It is still unclear whether Dida had relocated to the US, or was just visiting when he committed the offences.
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).
But 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 claims 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 alleges 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 was 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.
“He (Dida) complains that important aspects of his prayers cannot be followed, such as the direction he is supposed to face to pray, the requirement that he wash himself before praying, and the requirement that some prayers should occur at late hours. He admits that he has recently been moved to a single-man cell, which mitigates some of his problems. Even so, he complains that he needs a full shower of Friday before prayer, but despite many meetings about this, he has been able to arrange it,” the court papers read in part.
On account of the limitations, Dida said in court papers that he declined to participate in Ramadan this year.
Judge Sison warned Dida that trial of the case could take some time and will be a difficult process.
“As noted above, surviving initial screening only requires the bare statement of a claim that, if proven, could entitle the plaintiff to some relief. At trial, he will need to prove by a preponderance of evidence that the facts alleged actually occurred and that those facts satisfy the legal requirements for recovery. Trial is the highest and most difficult of hurdles for any plaintiff to clear,” the judge said in his April, 2024 ruling.
