MRC now seeks peaceful elections in August

Leaders of the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), which has been accused of fanning electoral chaos in the past, have renounced violence.

In 2013, MRC was accused by the Government of being behind the killing of the Changamwe OCS in Mombasa and several police officers in Chumani, Kilifi County, on the eve of the elections, a claim the group denies.

The top leaders were arrested after the Government claimed they were plotting to disrupt elections and national exams.

The council's national chairman, Omar Mwamnwadzi, has been missing for two years now. Mr Mwamnwadzi and top MRC leaders are facing close to a dozen criminal charges in Kwale and Mombasa.

Council assistant spokesman Richard Lewa warned criminals against invoking MRC's name during the electioneering period, saying this had tarnished its name in the past.

"We have been wrongly associated with criminal activities and seek redress for our grievances through the courts instead of violence," Mr Lewa said. [Patrick Beja]