Press statement on the rising cases of insecurity in Mombasa

Phyllis Mwema KECOSCE Executive Director 

Thursday 6^th November 2014

Mombasa Kenya: Mombasa based Civil Society Organizations have expressed their displeasure with the rising cases of insecurity in Mombasa that has seen close to twenty community leaders killed for their effort in containing radicalism and violent extremism.

Led by the Executive Director of the Kenya Community Support Centre Ms Phyllis Mwema, the group noted that the murders have been committed using illegal firearms whose numbers seems to be on the increase.

The group urged the Government to protect and facilitate community leaders who despite their loyalty and commitment have remained vulnerable to the attacks which are perpetrated by people who adhere to extremist ideologies.

The latest killing is that of Sheikh Mwarangi of Bilal Mosque who was shot and killed after Tuesday's evening prayer.

“Community leaders are soft targets because they are helpless, they have no weapon or any other protective measure that they can use against their attackers,” Ms Mwema said.

At the same time the group claimed that security agents have not helped much in the war against violent extremism and insecurity saying that many of them were compromised by radical groups.

“How does crucial security information reach the criminals who in turn perpetrate their heinous act on helpless community leaders?” Ms Mwema posed adding that Nyali, Makupa, Kiembeni and Urban police Stations were notorious for releasing suspects who in turn commit acts of insecurity on the people.

Mwema also expressed dismay that community policing had been infiltrated by criminals especially because majority of the representatives were appointed without consultation and consideration of whether they have clean records.

“Initially community policing members were supposed to be appointed by the community, however, politicians and businessmen have infiltrated those committees by having their cronies appointed so that they can always inform them of the proceedings and deliberations of those committees,” Mwema noted.

She urged the government to change the modality of approaching security issues to ensure that only those with clean records are appointed to the committees.

Mwema also urged the community to be more vigilant in the maintenance of their security noting that whenever criminal acts took place, the community paid heavily through death of destruction of property.

“The community should not hide criminals among them, they should identify them and stop the business of compromising police officers so that the criminals can be set free,” she said adding that as long as the community hid criminals, their own security was also compromised and in time the criminals would start attacking its own members.

The Executive Director also observed that Kisauni community leaders have been warning about rising insecurity but unfortunately they are given a deaf ear by the relevant security organs.

“We warned about the taking over of a mosque in Kisauni  and the ongoing night meetings but nothing much was done, and as long as the information that is provided is not acted on, then lives will continue being lost.

The civil society caucus brought together leaders from 17 Mombasa based Civil Society Organizations among them Maendeleo ya Wanawake, Kwacha Afrika, ACT, Huria, the Council of Imams and Preachers.

Ends……..

For more information, Please contact

Executive Director,

Ms Phylis Muema,

Kenya Community Support Center,

P.O. Box 42944-80100, Mombasa,

Tel 0725407277