Five MRC recruits arrested in sacred forests

Kilifi county Commissioner Albert Kobia (third left) addressing media on the raid in Kaya chonyi. Next to the officers is paraphernalia among other items recovered during the raid. [PHOTO:Joseph Masha/Standard]

Kilifi, Kenya: Security agencies in Kilifi county have arrested five of 100 people they claim are members of the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) and are undergoing paramilitary training in two sacred forests.

Kilifi county commissioner Albert Kobia said police recovered home-made guns, arrows and bows, machetes and axes among other weapons. He said the group planned to destabilise peace in the region. More than 60 people were killed recently when gangs attacked Mpeketoni area in the neighbouring Lamu County. Later, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the attacks were targeting “a certain community”.

Kaya

But yesterday, the MRC denounced police claims as fictitious and challenged Mr Kobia to provide proof of his claims. Meanwhile, Kobia also claimed a commander with the alleged training force has fled to Mumias but could not name him.

The officers claimed they arrested the suspects at the sacred Kaya Chonyi and Kaya Jibana while undergoing paramilitary training, allegedly, conducted by ex-military officers. The officials further claimed about 100 MRC militants were undergoing paramilitary training on Thursday to conduct disruptive operations on Monday but acknowledged arresting only five.

“The information we have is that the MRC recruits who had graduated were to be deployed to different parts of the country to cause chaos,” Kobia said.

But MRC secretary general Hamza Randu said he was not aware of the incident: “You are telling me news. I am in Mombasa and I am not aware of MRC training anywhere,” Randu said.

Addressing a press conference in Kilifi town yesterday, Kobia said the security officers using helicopters, arrested the suspects in the sacred Kaya forests as they, allegedly underwent military training.

Kobia said police recovered MRC flags, bhang, registers of newly recruited members and exercise books containing names of recruited members. Police said they also recovered five goats suspected to be for the weekend meals.

He said the five suspects hail from Coast and are being held at the Kilifi police station, adding that one of the commanders of the gang was said to have fled to Mumias where he is suspected to be planning for chaos on Monday.

He said: “Through intelligence reports, we were informed that some MRC members were regrouping and recruiting new members for military training to cause havoc during the Saba Saba rally planned for Monday.”

Contacted by The Standard on Saturday, he declined to offer identities of the alleged former military servicemen.

 

He claimed the Mpeketoni attacks in mid-June were planned in Kilifi and Mombasa counties adding that MRC members could have a link. The administrator said the training site at Kaya Chonyi was fully established with all the training facilities including some makeshift houses adding that Kaya Jibana training camp was being established to facilitate the recruitment of more members.

Security

The commissioner cautioned parents against allowing their children to be recruited into MRC with the intention of destabilising the country’s security.

He said through the Constitution, Kenyans can now manage their own affairs at the county levels and said it was wrong for some people to agitate for separation from the rest of the nation.

“Kenya has a devolved system of governance and cases where people are still fighting for separation of their regions from the rest of the country on claims that they are marginalised should not arise,” said Kobia.