'The colleges have been operating without licenses from TVETA and also enroll Somali refugees for language classes after which terror agents recruit students from the colleges for information gathering once they attain fluency in English and Kiswahili'
Police in Nairobi have arrested 43 terror suspects following a crackdown in Eastleigh on Tuesday evening.
The arrests bring to 49 the number of suspects nabbed since President Uhuru Kenyatta directed authorities to crack down on terrorist activities five days ago.
On January 17, while addressing the Annual National Security Review and Planning Conference in Mombasa, Uhuru ordered police to mount operations to flush out terrorist operatives and all sleeper-cells.
On Tuesday, a joint operation at a college in Eastleigh area netted 43 people who did not have identification documents.
Police are also conducting investigations to establish the cartels behind what authorities believe is a human trafficking syndicate.
The evening raid was carried out by a multiagency team comprising of officers from the ATPU, GSU and the Techinical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA).
The 43 from Atlas and Alison community colleges included two managers, a secretary, two teachers and 38 students, according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
“The colleges have been operating without licenses from TVETA and also enroll Somali refugees for language classes after which terror agents recruit students from the colleges for information gathering once they attain fluency in English and Kiswahili,” the DCI said in a statement.
Social media accounts of the two colleges show most of their students are of the Somali origin.
The colleges have since been closed down.
The heightened crackdown follows deadly terror attacks in Northeastern and Lamu areas which have caused a public outcry on intelligence gathering to combat terror.
Police have in the past raided mosques and residential houses used as terror training centres.
Recent attacks in Lamu and Garissa have been blamed on Kenyans who either crossed to Somalia for al Shabaab training or were radicalised in the country.
“I also expect more of the major sponsors of terrorism to be dealt with, not least by ensuring they are listed nationally and internationally so that there is a tangible impact on their businesses, organisations and ability to operate,” Uhuru said in Mombasa.
On Wednesday, multiple security sources said there were terror cells in Mombasa and Malindi. The sources said they could not divulge much information due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“We cannot talk this over the phone,” a human right officials based in Malindi said.
Last year, al Shabaab returnees confessed to have been recruited by a tycoon, who is well connected in government circles and widely known even by members of public. The tycoon stills roams freely.
On Saturday last week, police arrested five terror suspects while allegedly conducting surveillance at Wisky River along Kiambu Road.
The suspects were Mohamed Abas Mohamud (U.S citizen), Mohamed Hassan Bario (Somali), Hodan Abdi Ismail (Female, Somali), Ifrah Mohammed Abshir (Female, Somali) and Mohamed Adan (Kenyan).
Police recovered a Kenyan army trouser, jungle clothing and money in Kenya, Somali and US currencies.
On Monday, Milimani senior resident magistrate Zainab Abdul allowed police to detain the suspects for eight more days pending completion of investigations.
On Tuesday, police arrested another suspect who had handed himself to two police officers based at the Shauri Moyo police station.
John Muimi Lengirikai was recruited to a terror cell in June last year and taken to Mombasa after four months before being taken to Mandera and later to Somalia.
A police report indicates Muimi was trained together with other six Kenyans in Somalia.
Police officers in Northeastern say al Shabaab militants who launch raids in the area are often those who were recruited from the villages.
Classified information shows a terror attack was last week aborted in the last minute after militants realised it would affect their relatives.
It is the high number of Kenyans involved in attacks at their homeland that prompted Uhuru to direct police to engage local politicians and religious leaders “as a proactive strategy to deny terrorism entry points into the radicalisation of our youth.”
Ongoing crackdown is likely to nab more illegal immigrants. KDF officers in Lamu and Garissa say the borders are extremely porous, allowing militants to cross at will.
edited by peter obuya