Dida: Former presidential candidate serving 7-year jail term in US

By Peter Ochieng

2013 and 2017 presidential candidate Mohammed Abduba Dida alias Mwalimu (teacher) is serving a 7-year sentence in Illinois, the United States of America.

He was handed the sentence, after being found guilty of stalking and transmitting threats.

Dida who emerged as witty and humorous during the 2013 and 2017 presidential debate, has reportedly been serving his sentence at the Big Muddy Correctional Centre in Illinois since November 18, 2022.

He was 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 attracted a 5 year sentence.

He was recently in court, alleging that his constitutional rights were being violated, after allegedly being prevented from accessing educational and other programs during his incarceration.

"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."

"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," reads part of the document.

Diba also claimed he had been denied medical attention, having complained of numbness on the left side of his body in January 2023.

The condition escalated to swelling of feet and toes, and spinal pain.

However, the court dismissed his claims.

"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," the court ruled.

His jail term ends in 2029.