Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga on Tuesday testified in a suit where Muslims for Human Rights Organisation
(MUHURI) is seeking Sh2.2 million damages for being linked to terrorism
in 2015.
The government had gazetted the NGO and
84 others for
sympathising with terror groups.
MUHURI says the inference created by the terrorist association injured its reputation.
In the suit, the NGO
has sued the Attorney General, Inspector General, Central Bank of Kenya, and Financial Reporting Center.
Their bank accounts were frozen for eight months before a Mombasa High Court ordered for re-opening of the accounts.
Mutunga who at the time the sitting CJ said the news of the organization being linked to terrorism were painful to him considering he was the founder of the organization.
"It was painful for me considering I had founded the NGO and I had known its chairman Khelef Khalifa for 18 years," he said.
Mutunga said he founded MUHURI 21 years ago
alongside activist Alamin Kimathi and had to hand it over to a board after he was appointed to head another organisation.
"I was yearning to call the IG so that he could confirm the allegations on the gazette notice but at my position, I knew I would get into trouble as I would be interfering with the duties of another office."
MUHURI chairperson Khelef Khalifa said the freezing of their accounts saw the Kenya Revenue Authority pouncing on them with unfounded claims of tax evasion.
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He said they could not meet their tax obligation during the freezing period.
The chairman revealed that their deregistration notice was gazetted five days after the Garissa University attack.
"With the banks frozen, all our operations were paralysed. We could not pay our staffs or bills," he noted.
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