By Paul Gitau
Authorities have secured the first conviction of suspects charged with belonging to the outlawed Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) in a landmark ruling delivered by a magistrate in Garsen yesterday.
The MRC was proscribed in 2009 but mid last year a constitutional court lifted the ban but the Kenyan authorities still regard it as an unlawful society because its leaders have not sought registration.
Several key MRC leaders are facing the charge of belonging to an unlawful society and their cases are pending at the Mombasa High Court.
Yesterday Mr Hussein Komora and Mr Ibrahim Mohamed were sentenced to one year in jail while Mr Awadh Wayu was acquitted for lack of evidence.
They have been in trial since January this year for alleged membership of the MRC but had denied the charge of “being members of an unlawful society” before Garsen Principal Magistrate Justus Kituku. They were charged that on January 9 2013 at Kanangoni roadblock in Tana Delta District within Tana River County “with others not before court, without lawful excuse were found to be members of unlawful society…[the]… “MRC” without registration.”
Prosecuting Chief Inspector Denis Onyango had informed the court that the suspects were arrested at Kanangoni Road-block as they were fleeing the scene of an attack. Inspector Onyango said the three were found in possession of red ribbons associated with MRC and that Ibrahim was found in possession of an identity card issued by the MRC.
He told the court that during the arrest the third accused person was also injured and it is suspected that happened during the attacks. The three were also placed under police supervision for one year after serving the sentence, and restriction order not to leave their home district without permission of the police during that restriction period.
