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 Court.
Milimani Principal Magistrate Rose Ndombi ruled that Abdihakim Said Jama has a case to answer in connection with charges of obtaining registration by false pretences and being unlawfully present in Kenya.
“The accused person has a case to answer and will be placed on his defence,” ruled Magistrate Ndombi.
During the proceedings, Fatuma Mohamed, the woman Jama claimed as his mother, stunned the court when she firmly denied any relation to him. Fatuma, who is from Burat in Isiolo County, testified that she saw the accused for the first time in court.
“I met the accused for the first time in court. I don’t know him and have never met him before,” she told the court.
Jama was charged in 2023 for fraudulently obtaining a Kenyan national identity card by falsely claiming to be Fatuma’s son. In her testimony, Fatuma presented a list of her eight children and stated that Jama’s name did not appear among them. She fully disowned any blood relation to the accused.
She further recounted how government officials visited her home in June 2023, showing her photos of a man and asking whether she recognized him. “I did not recognize him. He is not my son,” Fatuma told the court emphatically.
Supporting the prosecution’s case, Abdi Aliow Issak a businessman and member of the vetting committee in the Ngare Mara area denied ever participating in a 2011 vetting meeting where Jama claimed he was approved for a national ID.
Issak also disputed the authenticity of documents presented in court, which bore the name “Abdi Aliow.” He clarified that he always signs official documents using his full name, “Abdi Aliow Issak,” not just the first two names as seen in the submitted paperwork.
According to the charges, Jama is accused of providing false information to a public officer in Isiolo County between March and June 2011. He allegedly presented forged documents to the local chief in a bid to acquire a Kenyan national identity card.
The prosecution also claims Jama submitted a forged birth certificate (Entry No. L00906313/13, Serial No. 4208657) that belongs to another individual, along with the fraudulently obtained identity card.
Jama is scheduled to return to court on July 10, 2025, to present his defence against the charges.
