Sheikhs and imams in Mombasa county are being registered to filter out imposters.
Mombasa senator hopeful Yasser Bajaber said the aim is to get rid of
“quacks”, who tarnish the good name of the religious teachers.
The sheikhs and imams will be required to produce their birth and education certificates.
Bajaber spoke after meeting religious leaders in Likoni on Monday. He said sheikhs and imams will benefit more after the registration is completed. “The process will generally help the government, the Islamic leaders’ council, the sheikhs and imams themselves,” Bajaber said.
Easy identification
He said after the registration, the government will identify leaders at the mosques.
He said this will end cases of mosques being used as recruiting and radicalisation grounds by terror cells.
In 2013, police raided mosques following information that youths were being recruited. Weapons and al Shabaab flag were recovered.
Early this year, a madrassa in Likoni was closed after police suspected the teacher of radicalising the children.
Held responsible
Another madrassa teacher was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Mombasa court for radicalising children at a mosque in Kilifi county.
“After this registration, police will hold responsible the sheikh and imam registered in that mosque,” Bajaber said.
He said the leaders will also be in charge of donations. Bajaber said they are negotiating with the government to pay them as they are also assisting in moulding young minds to follow the right religious path.
