Former Kenyan presidential candidate Mohammed Abduba Dida is currently serving a 7-year sentence in Illinois, United States, for stalking and transmitting threats. Dida has been incarcerated at the Big Muddy Correctional Center in Illinois since November 18, 2022, after being convicted of stalking and intimidating an unidentified victim.
The 49-year-old former teacher was convicted on two charges. The first charge, involving stalking and transmitting threats, resulted in a two-year sentence. The second charge, for aggravated stalking and violation of a restraining order, led to an additional five-year sentence.
During his 2021 trial, Dida was held in custody in McLean County, Illinois, where the offenses occurred. Recently, Dida filed a court complaint alleging that his constitutional rights were being violated during his incarceration. He argued that he has been denied access to educational and other programs while in prison.
According to court documents dated July 8, 2024, Dida claimed that since May 31, 2022, while confined at East Moline Correctional Center, he has been deprived of educational opportunities. He stated that he took the mandatory Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) in June 2022 but failed to achieve a passing score. As a result, he was not allowed to take the General Educational Development (GED) exam and was placed on a waiting list to retake the TABE after 45 days.
Dida also reported that he was placed on a waiting list for an Adult Basic Education (ABE) class focused on basic arithmetic and reading skills. Despite the 45-day waiting period, he claimed he was not given the opportunity to retake the TABE while at East Moline. By February 2023, he was informed that he could not retake the exam and would remain on the waiting list, with the possibility of taking the exam or attending school delayed until 2027, close to his expected release date.
In addition to his educational grievances, Dida alleged that he had been denied access to employment and all other programs within the prison. He also claimed that he had been denied proper medical attention, arguing that his health had deteriorated during his time in prison.
Court documents revealed that Dida had complained of numbness on the left side of his body in January 2023, a condition that worsened to include swelling of his feet and toes, as well as spinal pain. In February 2024, he was diagnosed with pernicious anemia, a condition resulting from a Vitamin B-12 deficiency, and was prescribed a seven-month course of B-12 pills.
Dida accused the prison facility of providing inadequate medical care. In response, United States Magistrate Judge Gilbert Sison, in a ruling issued on May 29, 2024, ordered an investigation into Dida’s claims. The investigation would include examining the conduct of prison Warden Kimberly Hvarre and a health administrator, with potential charges if misconduct was found.
However, the court ultimately dismissed Dida’s claims regarding the denial of educational and vocational programs, stating that they lacked constitutional grounds. The court ruled that the case was dismissed with prejudice for failing to state a valid constitutional claim. The dismissal counts as one of Dida’s three “strikes” under the legal framework governing prisoner lawsuits.
Dida is expected to be released from the facility on April 3, 2029.
