How Mombasa Republican Council funds its activities

By PAUL WAFULA

Mombasa, Kenya: The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) ‘government’ gets most of its funding through churches and mosques, an investigation by The Standard has revealed.

The separatist group has a network of over 30,000 registered members spread across 97 branches at the Coast. The 30,000 membership is based on signatures raised to support one of its court petitions. However, it is also understood that the members could be more and the group may have thousands of sympathisers.

At the top is the ‘president’ or chairman, who runs a government of about 14 members, including his vice-chairman, secretary general, assistant secretary general and spokesperson. It also has an office of the co-ordinator, organising secretary, treasurer and several elected members. This top organ also referred to as governors, draws its power from an 18-man council of elders.

“The governors only implement decisions after they receive blessings from council of elders,” a top MRC official, who has been in and out of court, told this investigation.

Below the top organ is the branch network. About five officials run each branch, including chairman, secretary and treasurer. Then there is a wing of youths, who form foot soldiers. A treasurer at one of the branches in Ukunda, South Coast, told this investigation how the group raises money to fund its course.

“We cannot go out to look for money unless we have a pressing demand. First we draw a budget. For instance, if the money is to be used for paying legal fees, we get the exact quotation from our lawyers and then spread our members in churches and mosques. Here, we always get well-wishers to donate,” the official said.

Each of the branches raises an average of Sh50,000 in any major call for cash. The group does not use receipts but shares the money out as soon as it is collected to fund activities. The official said the group opted to use places of worship after the Government intensified crackdown on MRC meetings.

Strong cases

This means in a successful fundraising, the MRC ‘government’ can raise about Sh4.8 million from its 97 branches.

The group says most of its ‘major causes’ have revolved around raising legal fees to support filing of court petitions and writing letters.

“We get the best response when we are raising money to go to court. Most of our members want us to fight through diplomacy and legal means,” another official told The Standard. Some of the court cases the group has filed include a case challenging the privatisation of the port of Mombasa in January 2011.

The group’s officials also in November 2010 took the then Internal Security minister and Attorney General to court for banning MRC, among other groups. This was one of its strongest cases after it convinced the court that the group was not illegal, a ruling that sent shockwaves in government. MRC’s latest case came in April last year when it went to court challenging the review of names and boundaries of wards and constituencies in coastal region.

Through multiple interviews, The Standard has learnt sympathisers and politicians willing to donate send their contributions discretely.

“We cannot point at any politician or businessman, who we can say is the principal financier given that the money is collected in small bits,” the official said. The MRC has also raised money severally from random taxes called kodi. Sources say the Sh200 kodi is the most common.