By Patrick Beja and Bryan Tumwa

Muslim leaders in Mombasa have urged Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) to  embrace devolved governments.

The clerics allied to the Jubilee Alliance said the separatists who have been accused of killing residents and police officers should return guns stolen from slain security officers.

They also want the Uhuru regime to press ahead with the disarmament of the separatists and accused MRC of derailing development in the Coast.

Kenya Muslim National Advisory Council national chairman Juma Ngao and vice chairman Abdulrahman Sineno also told members of MRC to abandon the movement and surrender to Government.

Disarment Process

“We are ready to receive stolen guns from MRC and hand them back to Government officials,” Ngao told The Standard in Mombasa yesterday.

Reacting to media reports that 17 young men with alleged links to MRC had surrendered to authorities in Kwale County this week, Sheikh Ngao urged more followers of the separatist group to abandon it and support devolved governments to address their grievances.

Ngao noted that MRC had also opposed Government plans to privatise Mombasa port leading to President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta visiting the port recently to assure residents his administration would not implement such a plan.

Sheikh Sineno told MRC to support dialogue instead of fighting Government, noting it would undermine development of coastal counties.

He said the Government has blamed crime at the Coast on MRC for too long and must now act decisively on criminal gangs.

Elsewhere, Bishop Beneah Salala has urged the Government to investigate politicians linked to the outlawed MRC.

“For the sake of peace the Government should establish who has been funding them and facilitating their activities,” said Salala.

And seven suspected MRC members implicated in last week’s raid on a Malindi casino in which nine people were killed, including two police officers, were yesterday arraigned in a Malindi court.

The seven appeared before Malindi Senior Principal Magistrate Mr Yusuf Shikanda yesterday.

Police officer investigating the case Vincent Obae told the court the suspects raided the casino, killed the officers and stole two guns on March 28.

Those arraigned in court were Ahmed Swaleh Ali, Salim Abdalla Adam, Harry Kondo Kombo, Joshua Kilonzo Ndianga, Bernard Juma Martin, Sammy Chengo Kikucha and Christopher Kiiwe Sheith.