As immense visibility in the media on the Mombasa Republican Council, reemerges the debate on whether to categorize it as a political rights movement or just a criminal gang is gathering storm.
Last week security agencies claimed to have intelligence reports indicating that the group was on a recruitment and training drive of former soldiers to help them pursue their secession agenda. The reports came after last month's Court of Appeal ruling that gave the group a lifeline by declaring it legal.
In 2011, the late Security Minister George Saitoti listed MRC among 33 outlawed gangs. The order
was declared unconstitutional by the courts after a case filed by their lawyer Steve Kithi, in 2012, which was challenged by the State and since its been battles in courts until the ruling last week that affirmed the legality of the council
Hundreds of MRC members have had their day in court and face several charges of being members of the group, among other criminal activities, with the state expressing fears that the members are regrouping and may cause mayhem during elections, as was the case before 2013 general elections.
The group has been accused of being behind the killing of a senior police boss in Changamwe and some officers at the dawn of election day in 2013. Four suspects were this month sentenced to hang, whereas another member accused of killing Kilifi governor Amason Kingi's bodyguard was sent to hang in March this year.
“Those accusing us of violence, fear-mongers against the group and now the litany of so called intelligence reports are building a case to justify unconstitutional clamp down on our members as well distract us from our course of seeking justice for the Coastal people,” Randu Nzai Ruwa MRC secretary general said.
“We don’t control the calenders of court that made the ruling of our case to come near elections, but we suspect that the hype around our movement and all mudslinging that follows from government quarters when it is nearing elections might be aimed at destructing our people from making political determination at the ballot,” he said adding that they aren't opposed to elections as claimed by government but they love their fate determined through a referendum so as they breakaway from what they perceive as successive regimes of marginalization and abuse.
Nzai said they will continue pushing and standing up for their rights both through political and judicial means and not through violence or force, denying that they were behind the wave violence that rocked the coast before and around the 2013
election and that they were planning to wreck more havoc in future.
“What we are fighting for through our movement is to have land rights, education and job opportunities , not to be stereotyped as lazy people who don't deserve to exist, whereas successive regimes have put up structures that marginalize us and knocks us out from any economic, social and political opportunities,” he said explaining that majority of the native coastal people have been turned to squatters by grabbers, absentee landlords as well by those who have taken advantage of the situation to buy huge chunks of land to their disadvantage.
“I am also a victim of these injustices.
We were thrownout from our
ancestral land by government which inturn put up Mariakani barracks. We've tried
reaching out to our political leaders so as they can help address these historical injustices but we’ve consistently
been letdown, forcing us to take it upon
ourselves to make sure the issues are addressed even if it means at the expense of our lives,” he added claiming that media was being used by state machinery to whip public opinion against them.
"We seeing media quoting anonymous sources within government claiming we are even recruiting returnees from Somalia to fight for our course, we have a established a camps for training. Which is a lie, for us we believe in rule of law, that why we wont take up arms to defend or demands our rights but we will battle out in the corridors of justice," he said.
Founded in 1999 MRC was dormant until 2008, with it secession urge traced to 1893-1960 agreements that transferred the ten mile strip of land along the coastal strip to the government of Kenya from Zanzibar, which the group says it happened without the consent of the Coastal people.
This is not the first time such uprisings
have been recorded in the Coastal region in August 3, 1997 Kaya Bombo Raiders under the commander of Juma Bemba emerged. With
over 200 raiders they
attacked a Likoni Ferry Police Station killing 6 officers. They have also been accused of being behind Kaya Bombo clashes that were targeted at mainland communities.
Observers have alleged that the Bombo movement could have inspired the formation of MRC, as the council emerged in 1998 immediately after the Bombo raids died down. Nzai has since denied the claim.
“Sisi wapwani ni waoga sana, kusema eti sisi wana MRC tunaweza beba panga na kwenda kuvamia makao ya polisi, raia ama hata jeshi ni ndoto.( Us the coastarians are 'cowards' when it comes to physical confrontations, so for one to claim that MRC armed with a pangas can attack civilians or storm a police station or a barrack, is a kin to dreams,” he said.
“We get our motivation from the desire to free our people from this bondage of historical injustices and bequeath the future generations with social, economic and political freedom,” he added saying that they will never adopt extralegal means even if the government pushes them to violence or attempts to silence their quest, but they will pursue the struggle using all the judicial avenues.
Hassan Olenaado a researcher on insurgencies and human rights issues , Katana Kazungu a political analyst, Abdi Diab a security expert and a lecturer observes that the group has legit concerns that needs to be addressed by the state but they concur that the secession call is unlawful.
“What is happening is not new it shows a section of society that is desperate and feels have been marginalized and cant access land, education, jobs and failure for the state to show interest in addressing their challenges,” Olenaado also deputy secretary general at the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims said.
“There have been previous movements
like MRC in Coast whose agitation mostly ended up in clashes and conflicts but the issues that were leading to the conflicts were never conclusively resolved. The networks were kept intact even though went on a lull and when the MRC idea was mooted it was widely acceptable and activating the networks has been easy,” he said adding that even though treasonable their running call of Pwani Si Kenya they have gained political recognition and Kenyans attention.
He however called on government to be realistic in addressing structural and administration concerns relating to land, economy, politics , social and even citizenship rights that is forcing locals to accept secessionist ideologies.
“Government should stop running away from these issues being raises, it cant afford to sweep them under the carpet, wish it away or try to use force to contain the agitation, because it pushes more and more locals to developing soft spot for such organizations and build solidarity thus monopolizing spaces in victim communities,” he said.
“You cant brand every group illegal and think that you can win, there is need to open up dialogue avenues and put sincere commitment to looking into the grievances raised by MRC. But the council should also drop the Pwani Si Kenya slogan because its taken as a declaration of war,” he adds.
Katana on his part said MRC rose up to seize a vacuum because there was no unifying political leader at the Coast to articulate the regions issues, that could have brought an end to the culture of marginalization and discrimination through successive regimes.
Commenting on the claim that MRC was recruiting x soldiers to strengthen the force within its ranks to wreck havoc, Katana said that was far-fetched as the group had no capacity to woe nor even train any person to engage in war like activities.
“They might be very vocal about issues, that have never been addressed for ages, but that cant warrant to categorize MRC as an extremist nor a criminal entity ,” Katana said as he called on the council to drop the Pwani Si Kenya slogan change tact by either
transforming the movement into a political party or join a given political party, field candidates for political office. As well urge their communities to register as voters as well turnout and vote in large numbers to political entities
they deem fit to address their plight once and for all.
“The courts have given them a window to have their plight heard, so they need to get the political leadership that will articulate their interests and bring about public policy shift. At the moment the best weapon they have is their vote,” he said.
He cautioned government against using force as a means to suppress the group and their grievance instead he advised that they should engage communities to avoid more alienation.
“There those politicians or criminal gangs who might be tempted to take advantage of group to cause havoc, this is something the group and government should be alive,” he cautioned.
Abdi Daib a security expert and lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology said
MRC issue is a purely political but its being marketed as a security threat by government.
“Government machinery are giving this group unnecessary visibility by trying to crackdown its membership through security operations whereas they could have
adopted a political approach of addressing their grievances thus pre-empting further agitation,” he said.
“Looking at the call for secession, MRC only operates mainly in Kwale and Kilifi and have been in court demanding to have their demand granted by court ordering for a referendum. To be realistic if that wish was to be granted to them I doubt if they can even marshal 10 percent support,” he added.
But adopting
brutal ways of suppressing the secessionist idea by executing MRC members or getting tramped up charges against the members gives the group unwarranted publicity and earns it sympathy that can drive up recruitment, he says.
“Politicians across the divide including the incumbent ruling coalition would want to inflame the threats to scare their opponents as well those who know can no longer get the coastal vote will opt to fanning the group so as to scare voters to affect turn out,” he observed.