Rwandese among those killed in mosque raid

By WILLIS OKETCH

Mombasa, Kenya: A Rwandan Christian who had converted to Islam was among the people killed when police stormed the controversial Musa Mosque in Mombasa’s Majengo slums on February 2, according to a court document authorising his burial in Kenya.

Reports show he will be buried in a Muslim cemetery most likely in Mombasa after the Rwanda authorities and his family failed to claim his body. The Kadhi Court in Mombasa issued a decree dated March 26 authorising the release of the body “for burial according to Islamic rites.”

Born Francois Ndacyayisenga on June 9 1991 in Rubengera Karongi in Rwanda, he has been travelling as Abdulrashid Ndacyayisenga after becoming a Muslim and “lost his life in the Masjid Musa incident,” according to Hussein Khalid Hussein, the Executive Director of Haki Africa, a human rights agency.

The group has been spearheading recovery of unclaimed and unknown victims of the mosque raid. The letter is signed by Sheikh Abdulhalim Athman, the Principal Kadhi in Kenya, following a petition by Haki Africa on Tuesday.

In the letter, Sheikh Athman says Francois’ family has “consented to the burial of the body,”  which has been lying ridden with bullet wounds and unclaimed at the Coast General Hospital in Mombasa.

A copy of Francois’ passport shows that he formerly travelled on a Rwandan passport, number PC144736 and with a Rwandan national identity card 1 1991 8 0068362 02. The documents show he travelled to Uganda before entering Kenya through Busia in January this year.

The storming of Musa Mosque was sparked by what police allege to be an illegal jihadist training convention by Muslim extremists.

Four worshippers and a policeman were killed in the chaos and police claim they responded after some gunmen inside mosque shot at them.

After the raid, police claimed there were some foreigners in the congregation.

Acknowledge citizenship

Yesterday, Khalid told The Standard that the Rwandan “was a student at an Islamic school in Kilifi.” He also said the body lay unclaimed in the morgue for weeks until it was identified by alleged former schoolmates.

Reports indicate neither Francois’ family nor the Rwandan Embassy in Nairobi came forward to claim his body and acknowledge his citizenship. Khalid, however, told The Standard the International Commission of the Red Cross was in touch with the deceased’s family before the decision to bury him in Kenya was made.

Entries on his passport show Francois has lived or entered Kenya and Uganda for the last two years and at one time even registered his presence with the immigration authorities in Mombasa. The latest entry shows that he travelled in and out of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda in July and August last year after leaving Rwanda on August 30 last year.