Former Kenyan presidential candidate Mohammed Abduba Dida is serving a 7-year sentence in Illinois, United States for stalking and transmitting threats.
Dida has been serving his sentence at the Big Muddy Correctional Centre in Illinois since November 18, 2022, after being convicted of stalking and intimidating an unidentified victim.
The 49-year-old former teacher was found guilty of two charges, the first for stalking and transmitting threats, which resulted in a two-year sentence.
During the hearing in 2021, Dida was being held in custody in Mclean County in Illinois where the offence was committed.
In a recent development, Dida went to court alleging that his constitutional rights were being violated, arguing that he has been prevented from accessing educational and other programs during his incarceration.
Court documents dated July 8, 2024, Dida says that he has been starved access to educational programs, beginning on May 31, 2022, while he was confined at East Moline Correctional Center
“He took the mandatory Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) test in June 2022 but did not achieve a passing score. Consequently, he was not permitted to take a General Educational Development (GED) exam. He was placed on a waiting list to retake the TABE after 45 days,” read the document in part.
“He was also told he was on a waiting list for the Adult Basic Education (ABE) class for basic arithmetic and reading skills. Despite the passage of the 45-day waiting period, Plaintiff was not able to retake the TABE test while at East Moline.”
In February 2023, Dida narrates he was told he could not retake the exam but was still on a waiting list, and after filing his grievances, he was told he could not take the exam or attend school until 2027 because the waiting list was tied to the date of the inmate’s expected release from prison.
He further claims that he has been denied a job and access to all programmes.
The Kenyan convict also claimed that he had been denied medical attention, arguing that his health has been deteriorating over the time he has been in prison.
Court documents show that he had complained of numbness on the left side of his body in January 2023, and the condition escalated to swelling of feet and toes and spinal pain.
He was also diagnosed with pernicious anaemia as from February 2024 after being found with a Vitamin B-12 deficiency. He was put on a seven-month B-12 pill medication.
He has argued that the facility has been giving him ill-medical care.
In a ruling issued on May 29, 2024, United States Magistrate Judge Gilbert Sison ordered that an investigation into Dida’s claims be conducted and that the defendants, including prison Warden Kimberly Hvarre and a health administrator, be held culpable if charged with an offence.
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. Dida is expected to leave the facility on April 3, 2029.
By Moses Kinyanjui
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