PS stand on MRC angers Muslims

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The Head of Public Service, Mr Francis Kimemia. Photo/FILE 

By GALGALO BOCHA gbocha@ke.nationmedia.com and DANIEL NYASSY dnyassy@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Sunday, July 29  2012 at  23:30

IN SUMMARY

• Muslim leaders condemn remarks by Public Service Head that the Mombasa Republican Council was still an illegal group despite court lifting ban against it, accuse the Executive of trying to intimidate judges

Religious leaders on Sunday scoffed at acting Public Service boss Francis Kimemia after he declared that the Mombasa Republic Council is still an illegal group.

In a statement, Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) Coast branch described Mr Kimemia as an “anti reformist”, who cannot be relied on by Kenyans to implement the Constitution.

“It is very unfortunate that senior government officials are still opposed to court verdicts. They are still in era where the Judiciary was disrespected and intimidated,” branch chairman Sheikh Muhdhar Khitamy said.

He differed with Mr Kimemia’s assertion that the group was violent.

“MRC had from the beginning announced its policy of non violence as they sought restitution of the well documented historical injustices unique to the people of Coast,” he added.

He asked senior government officials differing with the court verdict to stop criminalising the group, whose leadership has declared willingness to dialogue with the government.

The preacher added that the Supkem had initiated dialogue with MRC to persuade them to open “the door for a negotiated process of reducing mistrust between it and the Government of Kenya”.

Mombasa Catholic priest, Father Gabriel Dolan, also told off Mr Kimemia and claimed there is plot within the government to undermine and trash the Constitution.

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“There is a plot of senior government officials and politicians to discredit the Constitution. Judiciary is the most progressive institution and they are working to undermine it,” he said.

Their remarks came as MRC leaders declared that they were ready to dialogue with the government.

However, they insisted that the group’s quest for the independence of Coast and their call on the region’s residents to boycott the General Election still stands.

“We are happy the tag of an outlawed group has been removed. We want peace. What we are fighting for is justice for Coast,” MRC chairman Omar Mwamnuadzi said at Masjid Haram Mosque in Ng’ombeni.

Meanwhile, Muslims leaders have criticised police for failing to deal with armed criminals that have been terrorising residents of Kisauni District.

Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) yesterday called on the officers to step up security in the area, saying, the situation had caused panic among fasting residents.

“We have received complaints from some faithful that they cannot attend night prayers for fear of attacks. We understand that security is a key to everything and security agencies have to step in to contain the situation,” he said.

The latest victim of the spiralling wave of insecurity in the region is a middle aged woman who was killed and her daughter gang raped by six men, who raided their home in Kiembeni last Wednesday.

Scores of people have been killed and others injured by the attackers.

Last week Coast Provincial Police headquarters released additional hotlines to the public to report crime and urged them to remain alert throughout the Holy month of Ramadhan.

The 24 hours hotlines include 0706 115155, 0732 006969 and 020-3556769.

Elsewhere, Muslims have condemned the proposed Terrorism Bill saying it would oppress not only Muslims, but all citizens against the spirit of the new Constitution.

Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) national chairman Abdulgafur El-Busaidy said the Bill, if passed into law, would allow arbitrary arrests on flimsy grounds.

He said Supkem had engaged  four lawyers “to scrutinize the Bill chapter after chapter” with a view to challenging it in court.

Speaking during a funds drive at Liwatoni Secondary School in Mombasa at the weekend, Prof El-Busaidy said Supkem would lobby both Muslim and non-Muslim MPs to oppose the Bill.

“I want to tell Kenyans that the Bill does not target only Muslims, but everybody else. It allows arbitrary arrests,” he said.

Additional reporting by Philip Muyanga