Counter-terror investigators are widening a national crackdown on suspected terror financing as courts move to detain a Mombasa-based lawyer for two weeks while inquiries continue into the use of cryptocurrency networks in the financing chain.
- •The Kahawa Law Courts granted detectives a 14-day custodial order for Andrew Chacha Mwita, who was arrested in Mombasa on November 14 and transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) headquarters in Nairobi the following day.
- •Investigators sought more time to examine financial activity they believe may be connected to support for terror groups.
- •Mwita’s detention comes as the ATPU pursues multiple suspects arrested in different regions under a coordinated counter-terrorism sweep that has increasingly focused on digital financial channels.
On Sunday, authorities in Marsabit detained Abdisalam Hassan, a businessman whom investigators say is linked to suspected terror-related financial activity conducted through a cryptocurrency network. Hassan was moved to Nairobi after tensions with relatives escalated outside the Marsabit police station.
Both arrests form part of a 22-person sweep conducted across Nairobi, Mombasa, Kapseret, Moyale and Marsabit as investigators target alleged facilitators, recruiters, and financiers.
Among those arrested are Richard Muriuki Murimi, Said Galgalo Duba, Ali Mohamed and Dhalha Abdi Mohamed. In Kapseret, Anthony Odhiambo Odwuor is awaiting a ruling on a 15-day detention request set for November 25.
In Mombasa, ATPU is seeking 20 days for Miriam Ali Abdalla and Aisha Abdullahi, with a ruling expected on November 26. On the same day, the court will determine whether to grant a 30-day custodial order for Abdisalam Hassan, Fatuma Yabalo Guyo, Jilo Arafti Halake, Ajirena Halake Sora, Safia Ture Bidu, and Kabale Duba Ali.
Kenya's New Crypto Law
The arrests come against the backdrop of the newly operational Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025, the country’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets. The law places crypto oversight under existing agencies such as the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and the Capital Markets Authority (CMA).
Under the new law, virtual-asset firms must maintain physical offices in Kenya, appoint local directors, segregate customer funds, and comply with strict anti–money-laundering rules; steps aimed at closing gaps that previously allowed opaque, offshore-run operations.
Authorities now have broader tools to supervise digital-asset flows, a capability that gains urgency as investigators scrutinize whether cryptocurrencies are being used to move funds linked to extremist activity. This is also intended to pull Kenya out of the FATF and EU grey lists.
The arrests also mirror broader continental efforts to disrupt crypto-linked terrorism financing. In Operation Catalyst, a joint initiative coordinated by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL from July to September this year, authorities across six African countries screened more than 15,000 persons and entities, seizing roughly US$600,000 and identifying 160 persons of interest.
In Kenya, the cross-border investigators uncovered a suspected money-laundering scheme using a virtual asset service provider with potential links to terrorism financing, alongside a separate case in which two individuals were arrested for online recruitment of youth into extremist groups, with funds traced through a cryptocurrency trading platform back to Tanzania.
