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.
The second count was for aggravated stalking and violation of a restraining order which saw the court slap him with a 5-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.
According to 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 part of the document.
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.
