We were fund-raising, claim MRC suspects

Mombasa Republican Council Chairman Omar Mwamnuadzi appears before a Mombasa court after being arrested on December 31, 2015. Mr Mwamnuadzi is facing charges of being a member of an unlawful organisation and holding a meeting police said was aimed at organising attacks. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Mwamnuadzi is facing charges of being a member of an unlawful organisation and holding a meeting police said was aimed at organising attacks.
  • Speaking on behalf of the 42, Mr Gamunda, also told Kwale Resident Magistrate Paul Mutai that the group was not planning any chaos or to fly the MRC flag on Dzombo Mountain as claimed by the police.

Members of the Mombasa Republican Council arrested in Tiwi last Thursday were meeting to raise legal fees for the group’s leader, Mr Omar Mwamnuadzi, a Kwale court heard Tuesday.

“It is true we are members of the MRC and we gathered at the house of one of our members to raise funds because the council is broke,” one of those arrested, Mr Hamadi Gamunda, told the court.

Mr Mwamnuadzi is facing charges of being a member of an unlawful organisation and holding a meeting police said was aimed at organising attacks.

Speaking on behalf of the 42, Mr Gamunda, also told Kwale Resident Magistrate Paul Mutai that the group was not planning any chaos or to fly the MRC flag on Dzombo Mountain as claimed by the police.

“We were arrested in the house of Hamadi Hassan, one of us, and it is untrue we were planning any violence,” he said.

He said members of the group were peace loving individuals pushing their cession bid through lawful means.

He said it was not the first time members of the group have held a funds drive for colleagues with cases in court.

State counsel George Mungai asked the court to deny the suspects bail, saying intelligence reports showed they were actively involved in recruitment of members.

“It is a constitutional right for suspects to be granted bail, but this case is very grave considering that the group poses a threat to national security,” he said.

He said because of the large number of suspects, there was a high probability that some could abscond.

Lawyer Yusuf Abubakar, who represented the accused, disagreed, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove his clients would abscond, adding that others facing similar allegations have been coming to court.

“I would like to urged this court to decline the opinion of the state and give my clients reasonable bond terms as they do not have criminal records,” he said.

The 42 were ordered remanded at Shimo la Tewa until Friday when the court will make a ruling on their bond.