Police blame Mombasa Republican Council for Gamba, Hindi attacks as Al Shabaab claim responsibility

Remains of a lorry outside Gamba Police Station. It was burnt down by attackers who raided the station Saturday night. (Photo: Maarufu Mohamed/Standard)

Lamu, Kenya: Deputy Inspector General of Police Grace Kaindi has said preliminary findings show the attackers in the Gamba and Hindi killings were followers of Mombasa Republican Council (MRC).

This is despite the claim by Somalia's Al-Shabaab militants and confirmations by survivors that the attackers were speaking in Somali and broken Swahili. The group issued a statement claiming that their fighters had carried out another attack in the area on Saturday night.

"The attackers came back home safely to their base," Al Shabaab military spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab said.

However, Kaindi said evidence found on the ground pointed a finger at MRC. "For now, we believe the attackers were MRC and it revolves around local issues," she said without elaborating.

She addressed a press conference in the company of AP's Samuel Arachi and other senior police officers. She said the attackers were between 30 and 50 when they staged the attacks at Gamba and Hindi. Kaindi said as much as they received intelligence showing there would be an attack in the region, it was not specific it would be in the two affected areas.

"Intelligence reports can say there will be an attack in Coast without specifically saying it will be in Gamba and that is what happened. This leaves us with more challenges," she said.

She said the attackers burnt down a church and seven houses in Hindi where they also killed 12 people. In Gamba, the attackers killed a police sergeant on duty, before pulling out five people held in police cells and shooting them to death at close range. They further pulled out other three civilians from a lorry, which had just arrived at the police station and killed them before disappearing into the bush.

They also tied their victims' hands from behind. Kaindi said in Hindi area, security personnel recovered a blackboard that had been removed from Queen Elizabeth Academy which had political and religious inscriptions.

"We are investigating to know if the board was intentionally written to divert our attention on investigations," said Kaindi. She added the board was strategically placed at a road junction with the intention of inciting. The police boss appealed for information that can assist police in apprehending the attackers.

Tension remained high amid reports the attackers promised to come back for more attacks.

Elsewhere, human rights groups in Mombasa have condemned Saturday's twin attacks in Lamu and Tana Delta counties.

Speaking from Mombasa on telephone, Haki Africa Executive Director Mr Hussein Khalid said it was saddening to hear of more attacks in Lamu which had suffered two deadly attacks that claimed the lives of more than 60 people less than a fortnight ago.

Muslim for Human Rights (Muhuri) Tana River field officer Mr Twalib Abdallah told The Standard that gunmen had waylaid a lorry and killed its driver and two other occupants before using it to launch an attack at a police station.

''We demand that the Government does more to protect the lives of Kenyans. It is unacceptable to continue losing lives at this rate,'' Khalid said. At the same time, Muhuri through its Rapid Response officer Francis Auma pleaded with the Government to act expeditiously and ensure that perpetrators of the heinous acts are brought to book.

Muhuri also called on the Government to find out the cause of the worsening security situation in the country and get a lasting solution.