Kenyan court grants bail to two Borana elders accused of OLA ties

Tuesday May 26, 2026

Dabbasa Dambi and Gurracha Dambala

Addis Abeba – Two Borana elders from Kenya’s Marsabit County, held for nearly two weeks on suspicion of ties to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), have been freed after a court accepted a property bail totaling 14 million Kenyan shillings, or about 17.3 million Ethiopian Birr, their defense lawyer told Addis Standard.

The men — Dabbasa Dambi, a former administrator of Gololle village, and Gurracha Dambala, a respected elder from Sololo — walked out of custody yesterday evening, May 25, 2026, lawyer Kana Gollicha said.

It is to be recalled that Addis Standard reported weeks ago on widespread protests that erupted across northern Kenyan towns, including Marsabit, Saku, Sololo, and Moyale, following the abduction of the two elders. Protesters had blocked the main highway connecting Moyale to Nairobi.

Gollicha said the two were abducted on May 09, 2026, and taken to Nairobi, where they later appeared in court and faced terrorism charges tied to alleged links with the OLA.

But residents in the area say the case cannot be separated from a long-running border dispute. According to local accounts, land that had fallen under Marsabit jurisdiction was transferred to Wajir County, after which Wajir officials moved into the Moyale border area and began erecting offices, including security posts, in places such as Basir and Xixu. Community members say the abduction of the elders followed that encroachment.

Their defense lawyer, Kana Gollicha, explained that after Dabbasa Dambi (former Gololle village administrator) and Gurracha Dambala (community elder and resident of Sololo) were abducted, they were brought to court and charged with terrorism over alleged links to the OLA.

Gollicha said the court initially ordered a 10-day remand pending a second hearing, even as protests by local residents continued on the ground. Those demonstrations, he added, helped bring construction to a standstill on security office projects launched under the Wajir Administration inside the Moyale border area.

At their second hearing on May 22, 2026, the Kahawa Law Court granted them bail. Their release was delayed, however, because the court set a steep bond requirement. They were finally released yesterday evening, May 25, 2026, at about 8:00 PM.

Accordingly, the lawyer specified that Dabbasa Dambi was granted a property bail valued at 5 million Kenyan shillings (approx. 6.2 million Birr), while Gurracha Dambala was granted a property bail valued at 9 million Kenyan shillings (approx. 11.1 million Birr). In total, both elders were released on a combined property bond worth 14 million Kenyan shillings (approx. 17.3 million Birr).

Furthermore, the defense lawyer, Kana Gollicha, confirmed that today, May 26, 2026, the Kenyan government has officially dropped the terrorism charges it had leveled against the elders.

Marsabit County has for years been marked by recurring security concerns, driven by inter-communal violence and allegations involving the movement of fighters linked to the Oromo Liberation Army.

In February 2025, Kenyan authorities launched a security operation dubbed “Ondoa Jangili” (“Remove the Outlaw”) targeting suspected OLA presence in Marsabit. In a statement issued on 03 February 2025, the Kenya National Police Service said the operation, conducted in Marsabit and Isiolo counties, was aimed at combating illegal activities including ethnic incitement, illicit arms trafficking, and human smuggling.

The OLA has repeatedly rejected accusations that its fighters operate inside Kenya. In previous statements, the group said it respects Kenya’s sovereignty and insisted that its operations are confined to Ethiopian territory.

The latest developments also follow a bilateral agreement signed by Ethiopia and Kenya in November 2024 to bolster border security cooperation. Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) previously said the memorandum of understanding centered on intelligence sharing and coordinated responses to cross-border security threats.