Mombasa lawyer Andrew Chacha Mwita has been detained for 14 days by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) pending investigations into allegations of terrorism financing.
He was arrested on November 14, 2025, in Nyali, Mombasa County, alongside 21 other suspects in a nationwide operation targeting alleged terror financiers and radicalizers.
The ATPU claims Mwita has serious links to a network of terrorist recruiters targeting Kenyan and Tanzanian nationals for radicalization and recruitment into terrorism activities.
They also allege that he received money through his mobile phones from Binance accounts connected to financing terrorist activities locally and internationally.Mwita’s defense team, led by Mbugua Mureithi, Professor Hassan Nandwa, Lempaa Suiyanka, and John Maina, argued that he was a victim of mistaken identity and that his legal representation of terror suspects was being misconstrued as support for their activities.
They emphasized that providing legal services to clients, regardless of their charges, is a fundamental part of a lawyer’s duty.
They argued that providing legal representation to terror suspects is not a criminal act, describing the case as an attempt by the state to frustrate lawyers from offering their services to accused individuals.
Mwita is a veteran lawyer, well-known in Kenyan courts for defending clients facing terror-related charges over the past.
However, in a dramatic reversal of roles, he now faces the very charges he has spent years contesting on behalf of others.
If the court grants the Anti-Terror Police Unit’s application, Mwita will be detained at the Industrial Area Police Station in Nairobi while investigations continue.
Authorities have indicated that further arrests linked to terrorism and a cryptocurrency financing syndicate are ongoing
The court ruled that Mwita shall remain in custody for 14 days, starting from November 17, 2025, to allow the ATPU to conduct thorough investigations. The case will be mentioned on December 1, 2025