MOMBASA CIVIL SOCIETIES

PRESS RELEASE
AT CASTLE ROYAL HOTEL ON 12
th
JUNE 2014
FAILURE OF THE STATE TO PROVIDE SECURITY
On the morning of June 10, 2014 Kenyans woke up to the news of the brutal shooting and killing of Sheikh
Mohammed dris, !hairman of the !oun"il of mams and #rea"hers of Kenya $!#K% by unknown assailants at
his home in &ikoni' (his brings to o)er 20 "leri"s who ha)e so far lost their li)es in a "hilling pattern of "old
blood e*e"utions that ha)e dotted the Kenyan lands"ape o)er the past three years sin"e the go)ernment
laun"hed its war against terror'
(he se"urity situation has deteriorated so badly that it is diffi"ult to distinguish between genuine a"ts of terror
and ordinary "rime that ha)e seen the wa)e of )iolen"e, killings, kidnapping, assassinations and numerous
other a"ts of lawlessness in"rease to a le)el where Kenyans li)e in perpetual fear of thugs, the poli"e,
neighbour and any stranger' +hereas go)ernment would like to ha)e us belie)e that the deteriorating se"urity
situation in the "ountry is as a result of terrorism, there is not an inkling of e)iden"e that it "an put on the table
to ba"k that "laim' (o date the poli"e ha)e not unra)eled any of the in"iden"es with "ertainty, there ha)e been
no in,uests opened e)en in "ases where poli"e lost their li)es and no prote"tion has been pro)ided to those
who asked for it like dris'
(he most alarming feature of the said war against terror is the worsening situation of inse"urity and massi)e
)iolation of human rights' -andom poli"e swoops on the streets, shopping malls and homes ha)e be"ome
routine' .undreds and thousands of people ha)e been indis"riminately arrested and held in sub/human
"onditions either in "rowded poli"e "ells or sports stadia' (hese poli"e swoops ha)e been "hara"teri0ed by
harassment, brutali0ation, humiliation, torture, e*tortion, rape, disappearan"e of persons while in poli"e
"ustody, profiling and targeting people for arbitrary arrest on the basis of ethni"ity, nationality, religion and
other se"tarian "onsiderations
+e the undersigned members of "i)il so"iety wish to "all upon the go)ernment to admit and own up that this
"risis is a dire"t result of the two/front war that it is waging at home and in Somalia' (he burden of this two/
front war is now being borne by ordinary Kenyans in the streets and in the )illages' +hereas the "ontinent
e*"luded Kenya from sending troops to Somalia be"ause of our "ommon border and the possibility that we
"ould open oursel)es to atta"ks, Kenyan leaders on their own motion sent for"es into Somalia the
"onse,uen"e of whi"h should not surprise us at all' n the light of the se"urity situation in the "ountry, what role
is K12 playing in Somalia3 +hy should we not defend our "ommon border from our soil instead of in)iting the
wrath of reprisals that meets an in)ading for"e3
+e "annot "ontinue to li)e in fear' +e "annot allow the s"ope of our "iti0enship to be restri"ted in the name of
fighting terror' +e "annot allow the go)ernment to bring ba"k the ta"ti"s the 4ritish go)ernment employed to
"ontain the Mau Mau to "reep ba"k in our demo"ra"y' 5rising from the foregoing we the undersigned "i)il
so"iety organi0ations demand as follows6
From the o!er"me"t#
1' (.5( the go)ernment starts the immediate, phased and stru"tured withdrawal of K12 troops from
Somalia in the best interest of Kenyans, the soldiers and their families
2' (.5( the go)ernment "omes "lean on the intelligen"e it is relying on to prose"ute its war against terror
and sheds light on the a""usations that 5meri"ans, sraelis or 4ritons may also be playing a role in this
war on Kenyan soil'
7' (.5( the poli"e and the e*e"uti)e state to Kenyans why they should not be asked to step aside for
their la"k of "apability to ensure the safety and se"urity of Kenyans despite their "ommitment under
oath to do so and their numerous assuran"es that in)estigations will be "ondu"ted and all "riminal
elements will be brought to book but this has ne)er materialised'
4' (.5( the poli"e in)estigate the sour"e of guns, bullets, grenades and how these weapons get to the
hands of "riminals who "ommit these gra)e in8usti"es'
9' (.5( se"urity agen"ies in Mombasa open their doors to the undersigned for a "onsultati)e meeting to
dis"uss the deteriorating se"urity situation and their inade,uate response
From other St$%eho&'er(
:' (.5( we besee"h the youth of Kenya to "onsider the long term interests of the nation and to gi)e
dialogue a "han"e in addressing their grie)an"es in"luding an end to the ouster of "leri"s from
Mos,ues
;' (.5( the parliamentary !ommittee on Se"urity "on)enes an urgent session in Mombasa to meet with
)i"tims, human rights organi0ations, affe"ted groups and se"urity agen"ies as a matter of national
importan"e
+e wish to restate that these demands should be responded to within the ne*t ; days, and if this is not done
we shall laun"h a series of publi"<mass a"tions starting June 1=, 2014 as "iti0ens of this "ountry to defend our
so)ereignty' (he regime must start to respe"t the rule of law and our rights to mass a"tion within the law'
SINED
1) A*t+o" A+' ,AA-
2) Co$(t De!e&o.me"t Tr$"(.$re"*/ I"+t+$t+!e ,CODETI-
0) Co$(t I"ter1$+th Pre$*her( o1 2e"/$ 3CIP24
4) Co$(t 5ome" I" De!e&o.me"t ,C5ID-
6) Ce"tre For L$7 A"' Re(e$r*h I"ter"$t+o"$& ,CLARION-
8) e"e(+( For H9m$" R+:ht( ,HR-
;) 5or&' r$*e ,5-
<) H$%+ A1r+*$ ,HA-
=) H$%+ Ce"tre ,HC-
10) H$%+ Yet9 ,HY-
11) I"ter"$t+o"$& Me'+*$& Le:$& U"+t ,IMLU-
12) I"9%$ 2e"/$ N+ S+(+
10) J9h9'+ Comm9"+t/ S9..ort Ce"ter ,JSCS-
14) 2e"/$ Comm9"+t/ S9..ort Ce"ter ,2ECOSCE-
16) 2e"/$ M9(&+m 5ome" A&&+$"*e ,2EM5A-
18) 2e"/$ M9(&+m Yo9th A&&+$"*e ,2MYA-
1;) 2e"/$ N$t+o"$& Comm+((+o" o" H9m$" R+:ht( ,2NCHR-
1<) 2e"/$ N$t+o"$& I"terre&+:+o9( Net7or% ,2ENINI-
1=) 27$*h$ A1r+*$
20) L+%o"+ Comm9"+t/ De!e&o.me"t ,LI2ODEP-
21) M9(&+m For H9m$" R+:ht( ,MUHURI-
22' Pre.$re' So*+et/ 2e"/$ ,PS>2-
20) P(/*hometr+* A((e((me"t Co9"(e&+": A"' Co"(9&t$"*/ Ser!+*e( ,PACCS-
24) Tr$*e 2e"/$ ,T2-
26) U?$m$$ Ce"ter ,UC-
28) U"+!er(+t/ O1 N$+ro@+ 32LSS4