US Offers KSh 1.3b Bounty for Information on Main Suspect in Manda Bay Al Shabaab Attack
- US 10 million dollars (equivalent to KSh 1.3 billion) awaits anyone with information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the Manda Bay terror attack
- Militants from al Shabaab attacked the security point hosting the US and Kenyan army in Manda Bay in January 2020, killing three US nationals
- Five years on, the US Department of Defence has been pursuing the perpetrators of the attack, now offering a cash reward for their whereabouts
The United States government has dangled KSh 1.3 billion as a cash reward for anyone with information on the whereabouts of Abdullahi Banati, one of the suspected masterminds of the Manda Bay terrorist attack in January 2020.
Source: UGC
On the dawn of January 5, 2020, the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terror group launched an attack at the Cooperative Security Location Manda Bay, Kenya.
How many people died in Manda Bay attack?
The attack left a United States Army man and two operatives from the US Department of Defence (DoD) dead.
Three additional US personnel and one Kenyan soldier were injured in the attack.
According to the US DoD, the attack also saw the American government incur losses after resources valued at $71.5 million (KSh 9.2 billion) were destroyed.
The militants linked to the larger Al-Qaeda network claimed responsibility for the attack.
And more than five years on, the US is still pursuing the perpetrators.
On Thursday, May 8, 2025, the US, through the Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ), said it was offering $10 million (equivalent to KSh 1.3 billion) for anyone helping in the arrest of Banati and whoever else in his clique of terrorists.
"The RFJ programme, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Abdullahi Banati or any other individual responsible for the January 5, 2020, terrorist attack on U.S. and Kenyan personnel at the Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya," read a statement from the US embassy seen by TUKO.co.ke.
According to RFJ, Banati was one of the individuals involved in the operational planning of the attack.
He is believed to shift hideouts both in Kenya and Somalia.
Any volunteer with information leading to Banati can submit the tip here.
Source: UGC
The bounty for Banati came two years after another one put up for another suspected mastermind of the Manda Bay attack.
In January 2023, the US government offered KSh 1.2 billion for the arrest of Maalim Ayman.
In the fight against terrorism, bounties have often been used across the world as an incentive for informants with intelligence information that would help curb security threats posed by organised militants.
Why DCI offered KSh 60m bounty
As reported by TUKO.co.ke, a few years back, Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) put up tens of millions up for grabs in pursuit of three terror suspects who escaped the Kamiti Maximum Prison.
The trio, Musharaf Abdalla Akhulunga, Mohamed Ali Abikar and Joseph Juma Adhiambo, had been detained for partaking in criminalities, including enlisting themselves to Al-Shabaab, owning explosives and partaking in the Garissa University terrorist attack that left close to 150 people dead.
They later found their way out of the heavily guarded prison, with the authorities offering KSh 60 million for information on their whereabouts.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
