11 suspected MRC members arrested during oath in Likoni

In December 2020, police in Jomvu arrested at least 100 persons linked to the group. [File, Standard]

Eleven suspected members of the outlawed Mombasa group, MRC, were on Friday afternoon arrested while allegedly taking oath in Likoni.

Head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Likoni, Richard Koywer, said that they acted on a tip-off to effect the arrests.

Several Kenyan national identity cards and documents indicating the 11 belonged to the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) were recovered at the scene; a forest in Likoni.

The suspects aged between 30 and 50 years are being detained at the Likoni Police Station.

An MRC spokesperson, Randu Nzai, however denied claims that the 11 were being initiated into the group.

The Friday smoke-out lasted two hours, with no injuries or fatalities reported.

About MRC

The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) is a separatist group advocating for the independence of Mombasa from the rest of Kenya.

The group denies claims by government officials that it has forged links with Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabaab.

During past spates of insecurity in Mombasa, the Ministry of Interior linked several crimes committed in the county to the group, whose members are mostly young people.

In December 2020, police in Jomvu arrested at least 100 persons linked to the group, 90 of them being women.

The 100 were allegedly taking oath to join MRC.