Former presidential candidate Mohammed Abduba Dida is serving a seven-year jail term at Big Muddy River Correctional Centre in Illinois, US.
His 2022 conviction stems from charges of stalking and intimidating an unidentified individual in the US.
Sentenced on November 18, 2022, Dida is expected to leave the facility on April 3, 2029.
Dida, the former teacher who rose to the national limelight during Kenya’s 2013 presidential race, was found guilty of two charges; first for stalking and transmitting threats, which resulted in a two-year sentence and the second count for aggravated stalking and violation of a restraining order which saw the court slap him with a five-year sentence.
Dida recently went to court alleging that his constitutional rights were being violated.
In court documents dated July 8, 2024, Dida asserted that he has been prevented from accessing educational and other programmes while in jail.
He says he has been starved of access to educational programmes, beginning on May 31, 2022, while he was confined at East Moline Correctional Centre
Dida also claimed that he had been denied medical attention, arguing that his health has been deteriorating over the time he has been in prison.
However, the court dismissed Dida’s claims, citing a lack of constitutional support for his inability to access educational or vocational programmes.
“This case is dismissed with prejudice for failure to state a constitutional claim upon which relief may be granted. The Court counts the dismissal of this action as one of Plaintiff’s three ‘strikes’,” reads court documents.
In 2013, Dida positioned himself as an alternative to political heavyweights of Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga
He contested for the top seat on the Alliance for Real Change ticket.
Despite being unknown and hailing from Wajir County, his performance in the televised presidential debates won him the admiration of many Kenyans.
He portrayed himself as the biblical King David asserting that he was on his way to floor political giants, Uhuru and Raila.
He however secured just 54,840 votes way below Uhuru (6,173, 433) and Raila (5,340, 546).
Dida contested for the top seat again the following election. Once again, he found himself competing against Uhuru and Raila. Dida garnered 38,004 votes.
During the 2013 presidential debate, Dida is remembered for saying “don’t eat too much githeri, leave room for water”.
He also regretted that somebody with a PhD in electricity will spend the night in the dark but a Class Eight dropout will fix it.
During the debate, he also said “We don’t dwell on the weaknesses of each one of us..I am not asking you to vote for me, vote for the best”.
