Wednesday, June 22, 2016
By Silah Koskei
Jared Mokaya Omambia had big dreams, just like any other child.
Mokaya’s eyes were set on Information Technology, so much so that he could not have a conversation without IT coming up.
Everything seemed to be falling into place for the man described as calm and quiet when he joined Moi University to pursue a degree in Information Science. Just a few years and he would be living his childhood dream.
When he completed his undergraduate studies, Jared joined the Immigration head office in Nairobi in 2012 as an intern, his brother James says.
But this IT guru-in-waiting surprised many, including his family, when he converted to Islam three years ago and henceforth became Abdulaziz.
His father, Enock Omambia, says the move raised eyebrows within the family but there were no immediate tell-tale signs that there were ulterior motives. Since the Constitution gives him the right of worship and association, they let him be. Little did they know that everything would go south after that. In 2014, Abdulaziz was arrested in Isebania after allegedly calling his friends ‘kafir’. Muslims use this term to refer to a person or society that has read and rejected the message of the Holy Qur’an.