MRC demands lifting of ban before any talks

The outlawed Mombasa Republican Council has rebuffed offers of dialogue made by Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his deputy, Mr Musalia Mudavadi.

The two presidential aspirants made the offers during separate rallies in Mombasa at the weekend.

On Monday, MRC spokesman Mohammed Rashid Mraja accused them of playing politics.

MRC, he said, will not engage in any dialogue for as long as it remains banned by the government.

“MRC leadership does not dispute the idea of having talks with the politicians or government but worldwide there is no government that talks to outlawed groups,” he said.

“MRC wants the outlawed tag to be removed before talks commence,” he added.

In the meantime, the group will not give up its secession bid and vow to boycott next year’s General Election.

“Over the years, political leaders eyeing the presidential seat have been giving empty promises to Coast residents, but we shall not allow that to happen this time round,” he said.

Presidential aspirants campaigning at the Coast, he added, ‘‘are just wasting their time and money as nobody will vote for them’’.

He said the region will not participate in the General Election since MRC believes it is not part of Kenya.

Last month, members of the group disrupted a mock election by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission in one station in Kilifi county.

A policeman was injured in the attack and his gun stolen.

Last week, two watchmen were killed in an attack on an IEBC office in Kwale county although police have said there was no evidence linking the group to the raid in which computers were stolen.

Internal Security minister George Saitoti has vowed there will be no talks with the group until it renounces its secession bid. And in his state of the nation address to Parliament this month, President Kibaki reiterated that the Coast region is an integral part of Kenya.

While addressing a rally in Kisauni on Sunday, Mr Odinga said ODM will convene a forum for stakeholders from the region that will bring on board MRC to tackle injustices that had not been addressed by successive governments.

And, speaking at Tononoka grounds on the same day, Mr Mudavadi said his party, the United Democratic Forum, will move a motion in Parliament this week to set up a select committee to investigate MRC’s grievances.

But Mr Mraja said politicians out to convince MRC to drop its secession bid were wasting their time and resources.

“We will not allow the various party leaders to try and use MRC to gain popularity. MRC leadership is not ready to be compromised and the movement will at no time be a political tool,’’ he said.

He said Mr Odinga and Mudavadi should look for other ways to market themselves at the Coast. He cautioned Coast residents to be wary of greedy and selfish leaders.

“These leaders will use money to confuse and divide the people. As MRC, we are tired of them and their rhetoric. These politicians are not liberators as they claim, but are hungry for power,’’ he said.

Mr Mraja said MRC will continue to press for secession for Coastals to govern themselves. “Coast problems will only be solved by people from the region,” he said.