MRC leaders deny inciting violence

Six top leaders of the secessionist Mombasa Republican Council were on Monday arrested and charged with incitement to violence.

The crackdown on the group, which is pushing for secession of the Coast region, came days after an attack on a Cabinet minister in which four people were killed.

The raid on Fisheries Minister Amason Kingi’s rally in Mtwapa is suspected to have been carried out by MRC members.

Among those arrested on Monday were spokesman Mohamed Mraja and branch officials Ali Mbwana Mwatete and Ali Juma. They were all charged in a Mombasa court.

The others were Mr Oma Gwashe of Kilifi, Mr Hassan Mbwana Mwanguza, Mr Ali Hassan Ngome and Mr Said Jadi Mwachaunga, all of Kwale.

Mr Mbwana and Mr Juma separately denied the charge of incitement to violence. They were found with pamphlets bearing the words “Pwani Si Kenya”, a slogan associated with MRC, and which invited disobedience to the laws of the country, the court heard.

According to the prosecution, the act was calculated to lead to disobedience of the laws of the country by the coastal people.

The offences are alleged to have been committed on October 7 this year at Maranza and Bomani areas in Likoni, Mombasa County.

Mombasa chief magistrate Stephen Riechi released each of them on a Sh500,000 bond with sureties of similar amount and the cases fixed for hearing on October 29 and November 2 respectively.

Mr Mraja was charged with two counts of incitement to violence. He denied the charges and was released on a Sh2 million bond.

Senior Resident Magistrate Timothy ole Tanchu directed that the case be heard on October 30.

Articles of witchcraft

In Kilifi, Mr Gwashe, the Mtwapa branch treasurer, was charged with incitement.

In Kwale, Mr Mwanguza was charged with being in possession of articles of witchcraft, Mr Ngome was charged with illegally collecting money to fund MRC; while Mr Mwachaunga was charged with incitement.

The arrests came after Internal Security Minister Katoo ole Metito accused MRC of also planning to disrupt national examinations slated to start this month.

PS Mutea Iringo on Monday warned that action will be taken against any group bent on causing violence.

Mr Iringo said police were investigating some politicians in relation to the Coast violence and that they will be prosecuted, if found culpable.

Last week, some 15 people suspected to be members of the group were killed by villagers in Kaloleni, Kilifi.

The villagers turned on them after they attacked a man who had informed police about their presence in a forest.

At the Kingi rally, three of those killed were suspected MRC members, while the fourth person was a bodyguard of the minister.

The incident triggered an outpouring of rage and condemnation and demands for action from law enforcement agencies.

The MRC leaders were picked from their homes and taken to police stations where they recorded statements before being charged in court.

Mr Mraja gave himself up after police who had gone to his house at dawn missed him. The police ransacked the house and took away MRC documents and his phone.

They ordered his wife, Rahma Ismail, to accompany them to Makupa Police Station, where she was interrogated for about two hours before being released around 7.30am.

Mr Mraja later gave himself up at the Coast provincial police headquarters, and was then charged in court.