MRC flag found hoisted at youth ‘training camp’

By Tobias Chanji

Police found a Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) flag hoisted atop Dzombo hills where over 80 armed youth have been camping.

Last Friday, a policeman was beheaded by the gang training and taking oath in the forest.

Calm is now returning to the area, still under surveillance after the killing of an Administration Police Officer in Tiribe on Friday.

At the time of going to press senior security officers, including the Kwale County Commissioner Evans Achoki, were holed up in a meeting at Menza Mwenye discussing how to nab more culprits.

“We climbed to the top of the hill where we found a flag belonging to MRC erected. Though no more arrests have been made, patrols are still on. We have also received considerable support from members of the public who are guiding us on where to find the criminals,” said Msambweni District AP boss, Wilson Gichuhi.

But in a quick rejoinder the MRC spokesman, Mohammed Mraja disputed the claims insisting that anybody could mount the MRC flag to paint group in bad light.

He particularly accused coast politicians of malice and fanning derogatory messages so that the group is made illegal again.

Blame game

“I haven’t seen the flag but there is a possibility of anybody making a replica. Remember when we were at the Mombasa courts recently, youth who were not MRC members came with branded T-shirts Pwani Si Kenya (Coast is not part of Kenya),” said Mraja during an interview with The Standard.

Over the weekend, police raided a forest and detained several naked people allegedly taking an oath in part of the province known for xenophobic violence since 1992.

Most of the 18 people charged on Monday were ethnic Digo, Duruma and Giriama from Likoni and other parts of Coast Province.

A car with eleven pangas and five mobile phones was also found in the forest. Though calm is returning, locals are still worried and skeptical of a repeat of last General Election and 1992 clashes. They want the Government to find lasting peace.