Moi University student found planning to join terror group ISIS

Kenya has been grappling with the threats caused by terror groups, especially the Somalia-based al-Shabaab.

Hassan Kassim Hassan was found planning to join ISIS

The al-Shabaab has caused havoc in the country, with its sympathisers sneaking back and killing innocent civilians. 

The latest was the attack in Mandera town where 12 people were brutally murdered in a hotel by the militants. 

He was arraigned in court

Kenya has also been battling radicalisation of youths by terror groups.

This was the scenario in Kizingo in Mombasa when a Moi University student was found planning to join terror group ISIS.

ISIS material was found in his computer and phone

Hassan Kassim Hassan was apparently found with information related to the terror group in his computer and phone.

He was arrested and arraigned in a Mombasa court and was not allowed to respond to charges.

Kassim has apparently been radicalised

The government wants the suspect to be held for 15 days so as to complete investigations. 

The court will determine his fate Thursday, November 3.

Al-Shabaab yatoa video nyingine ya mwanajeshi wa KDF

Kundi la kigaidi la al-Shabaab limetoa video ya pili ya mwanajeshi wa Kenya linalomzuilia tangu lilipotekeleza mauaji ya kinyama El Adde.

Mwanajeshi wa KDF aliyetekwa nyara na al-Shabaab.

Mwanajeshi huyo aliyejeruhiwa wakati wa shambulizi la El Adde alielezea masaibu yake mikononi mwa al-Shabaab. David Ngugi Watari alitekwa nyara wakati washambuliaji walivamia kambi ya wanajeshi ya El Adde, Somalia Januari 15, 2016.

Ngugi, mwanajeshi wa kikosi cha 120 cha silaha na zana, KDF, alipoteza jicho moja wakati wa shambulizi hilo lililopelekea wanajeshi wengi zaidi katika historia ya Kenya kupoteza maisha yao.
Ngugi alijiunga na KDF 2009.

Mwanajeshi huyo alitoa wito kwa serikali kumsaidia kuwa huru kwa sababu maisha ya utumwa wa kijeshi hayakuwa mema.

Mandera only allowing Somalis to travel to and from county

Mandera county has banned the travel plans of  non-Somali citizens in and out of the county until Ramadan is over.

According to the Daily Nation, a bus company manager working in the region who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity said the police commander called a meeting for all bus companies and directed them no to allow non-Somalis on board.

Only Somalis have been travelling in and out of the county since Tuesday, June 28.

Acting Mandera East Deputy County Commissioner Yonah Nyawir said that it was a short term move aimed at reducing tension and allow for the reorganization of security operations.

“We are not barring people from traveling from either Mandera or to Nairobi. We’re saying that they should use alternative means because threats have been eminent for the last 10 days of Ramadan,” explained Nyawir.

He also said that security organs did not want to expose the lives of non-locals and has therefore given them alternative routes.

“They can either use aircraft of use pick-ups plying the Mandera-Takaba-Moyale-Marsabit route until the situation returns to normal after Ramadan. In the meantime, we will be repairing police vehicles and coming up with better security plans,” added Nyawir.

An air ticket out of Mandera to Nairobi costs KSh 16,000 one way according to a local who wanted to travel to Nairobi to attend to his sick spouse.
However, a police source who spoke to Daily Nation said officers assigned to escort buses had downed their tools due to the challenges they were dacing.

“The Kenya Police Reservists are performing the duties right now because their bosses refused to listen to them and provide extra escort vehicles,
“We asked them to rearrange the seats in the cars so that we could face side ways to monitor the roads but we still seat facing each other making it difficult to escape and fight the enemy if we are attacked,” said the police officer.

Earlier this month, intelligence reports said that al-Shabaab militant group had threatened to attack Kenyan soil during the month of Ramadan.
A list of possible target locations included Mandera, Wajir, Nairobi, Mombasa and Garissa.

In the ensuing weeks, a number of attacks were reported out of North Eastern counties after police officers were attacked and five killed in the ensuing fire exchange.

Others were attacked using improvised explosive devises.
Al-Shabaab claimed that the attacks were done to avenge the death of their commander who had been killed in an AMISOM operation near Mogadishu.

In the last two weeks, they have attacked locations close to the Kenya Defense Forces affecting communication and water sources.

Tension in Mandera after al-Shabaab attack

Suspected al-Shabaab militants  ambushed on Monday, June 20, a police vehicle killing five police officers.

The police vehicle and the bodies of the police officers were completely burnt after the deadly ambush by the terror group.

The attack occurred at village of Dabacity, ElWak in Mandera county.

Al-Shabaab has used the porous border between Kenya and Somalia to infiltrate the country and carry out random attacks on civilian and government facilities.
The government in March, 2016, had given a security alert of areas in Kenya that could be prone to al-Shabaab attacks.

ElWak in Mandera county was cited as an area under the risk of al-Shabaab incursions and attacks.

LETHAL AL-SHABAAB WEAPONS SEIZED ON THEIR WAY TO KENYA

Somalia National Army (SNA) has handed over to Kenya weapons it seized from al-Shabaab militants.

Mandera County Commissioner Fredrick Shisia, on Wednesday, May 11, received the weapons from Jubaland’s deputy minister for security Abdirashid Hassan Abdinoor.

“We are happy the Somalia authorities have taken the initiative of protecting Kenya by confiscating the weapons that were to cause a lot of destruction and loss of lives in these towns,” said Shisia as quoted by Daily Nation.

According to Abdinoor, the weapons were nabbed while on transit to Kenya’s border town of Mandera on the evening of Tuesday, May 10.

The weapons handed over include: Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), hand grenades, bullets, petrol bombs and phones.

CS Nkaissery meets Somali clan leaders in Kenya

The government of Kenya Sunday, April 24 confirmed it will resume construction of the security wall along its border with Somalia to help curb cross border incursions by Al-Shabaab militants.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery said the building of the 700km wall on the border with Somalia from Mandera to Kiunga in the coast will prevent Al-Shabaab militants from getting into the county.

The CS also said it will stop unwanted persons from illegally getting into Kenya.
Nkaissery was speaking in Nairobi when he met a group of Marehan clan leaders from Somalia.

“This fence will help us check on people like Al-Shabaab from crossing to and from Somalia. We will not limit movement of other people,” Nkaissery said.

Nkaissery promised the Marehan clan which lives along the border with Ethiopia and Somalia in Mandera County that the fence will not prevent or curb the movement of their people from and to Somalia as claimed.

The CS said entry points will have immigration officers who will screen those entering the country.

The CS also said that police posts and Kenya Revenue Authority will have their officers at designated points in the border to provide services.
Nkaissery called on the clans living in the Somalia border with Kenya to cooperate and fight terror elements that disrupt unity between the two countries.

The construction of the security wall had stalled after the government said it lacked funds, according to sources the wall would cost Kenya  two million dollars per kilometre.

The Kenyan government mooted the idea of the wall based on the concepts applied in both Israel and USA to deter movements but instead it will only be crossed by entering through the appropriate border points.

Kenya has faced threat of al-Shabaab attacks that have been carried out in towns like Mandera, Garissa, Mombasa, Lamu and the capital Nairobi.

The terror group claims it will bring its war on Kenyan soil after they were defeated by Kenyan forces in the Operation Linda Nchi that was launched in 2011.

Operation Linda Nchi was aimed to destroy al-Shabaab and end their control of southern Somalia and the capital Mogadishu they used to launch terror activities in Kenya and Somalia.

Big blow for al-Shabaab as senior commander surrenders

A senior al-Shabaab commander has surrendered to the Somali national army in Galgudud region of central Somalia on Sunday, April 17.

Somali National Army Commander in the region Col. Ahmed Mohamed told journalists that Ahmed Mohamud Afrah accepted amnesty and surrendered to the government.

“He was Al-Shabaab commander in charge of zakawat levy collection in this region. He had communication with us and told us that he is planning to leave his militant group,” Mohamed said.

Mohamed said the government will welcome those terrorists who defect but those still with the group will be dealt with accordingly.
The al-Shabaab commander said he joined the terror group due to circumstances and fear but had no freedom at all in the group.

“Circumstances and fear from the group led me join the Al-Shabaab fighters and accept to hold such position, but I had no freedom inside the group any time. I decided to accept amnesty offer and join my people and the Somali government forces in order to live in peace and without any worry. I am happy, the government officials welcomed me well,” Afrah said.

Al-Shabaab in recent times has suffered damage from three sides, with US drones killing their militants and commanders as well as losing key towns to Amison and the Somali National Army (SNA).

African Union forces  with the help of the Somali national forces  on Tuesday, April 5 in statement had confirmed that they had killed at least six commanders  of the terror group al-Shabaab in lower Shabelle region.

The al-Shabaab members killed  include a judge in Janaale town.

Others include a Kenyan trainer for the group Sheikh Mansur, Hassan Ali, chief Amnyat of lower shabelle region, and Yemeni explosives expert Abu Islam.

ANOTHER EXECUTION: Al-Shabaab Spokesperson Killed

A former spokesman for terror group AL-Shabaab was on Monday, April 11 executed by firing squad by the government of Somalia.
The spokesman was accused of killing six journalists in Somalia.
Hassan Hanafi, who arranged news conferences for AL-Shabaab when the militants controlled the capital Mogadishu, admitted during his trial to personally killing one journalist in Somalia.

“Today, the court fulfills the execution of Hassan Hanafi who had killed journalists,” Abdullahi Hassan, deputy judge of the Somali court, told reporters at the sceneof the execution.

Hanafi had his face masked and was tied to a pole before government soldiers opened fire at an execution field at a police training camp.

Hassan Hanafi Haji, a former journalist accused of belonging and being the spokesman to al-Shabab and involvement in the killings of five Somali journalists, is tied to a wooden post as he is prepared to be executed by firing squad, at a police academy in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Monday, April 11, 2016. Haji, who was extradited from Kenya last year on the request of the Somali government, was executed by firing squad which remains the only execution method in Somalia.

Hanafi just before his execution and on right soldiers ready to fire at him.

The execution of Hanafi comes just a day after the Somali military court executed to members of al-Shabaab for killing of a journalist.
The  two, Abdirisak Mohamed Barow and Hassan Nur Ali, who admitted being al-Shabaab members during their trial, were shot in Mogadishu.
Abdulahi Hussein Mohamed, deputy judge of the supreme military court confirmed the execution to journalists.

“Both of them were found guilty of murdering journalist Hindiyo Haji Mohamed whose car was blown with explosive device,” Hussein said.

DEALING WITH TERRORISM IN KENYA

By ALEX Senerwa

Kenya needs a fresh strategy to
counter violent extremism threatEarlier this week, Kenyan police
arrested four people on suspicion of
trying to join the Islamic State group in
Libya.

The men were on a bus bound for
Uganda allegedly before connecting to
Sudan then Libya.

While the arrests point to sound
intelligence and close collaboration
among the security agencies, it
nevertheless continues to highlight the
reality of violent extremism as a
continuing threat in Kenya.

It is estimated that about 20 Kenyans
have been recruited into Isis.

This poses new challenges in countering
violent extremism in the light of the
many others who have joined Al-
Shabaab.

It also underlines the fact that the
nature and patterns of violent
extremism have changed from a threat
primarily emanating from Somalia to a
home-grown, Kenyan problem
necessitating a review of the strategies
of how to counter it.

Counter-terrorism efforts are critical in
dealing with extremist violence.

However, in the absence of a robust,
coherent, high-level strategy to counter
and prevent violent extremism, the
danger is that only the security aspects
will be addressed and will continue to
define the scope of policy interventions
in dealing with terrorism.

PREVENTION MEASURES

Whereas counter-terrorism is concerned
with disrupting terrorism using security
and law enforcement means, preventing
violent extremism focuses on
strengthening communities’ efforts to
resist radicalisation and extremism.
The Kenyan government should review
and develop an integrated and
comprehensive strategy that brings
together different agencies and actors.
The strategy should take into account
the complexity of the drivers of
extremist violence.

To gain the confidence and support of
the relevant communities, prevention
approaches must not be securitised.

A prevention strategy must, however,
interface with what the law
enforcement agencies are doing.
Given that extremist violence is
underpinned by an ideology of
marginalisation and victimisation that
is shared by some Muslim youth in the
coastal and northern regions of Kenya,
perceived or real grievances held by
communities living in these areas must
be addressed.

Kenya’s counter violent extremism
strategy must take into account the role
of religion and encourage and support
both inter and intra-faith dialogue and
engagement.

The government needs to work with a
diversity of leaders within the Muslim
community and not just the clerics.

Not all youth are associated with
mosques or will listen to clerics.
It will be important to identify and
partner with influential people from all
sectors to facilitate publicising counter
narratives and address contested
concepts such as the religious role of
violence.

STRATEGY

A prevention strategy needs to pay
attention to the networks of
mobilisation and recruitment of the
youth into extremist groups.
This should not be turned into
surveillance or spying on the Muslim
community.

Access to social media, for instance, can
be widened to increase the diversity of
voices that can challenge and counter
the narratives propounded by
extremists.

The strategy should support actors and
institutions such as schools to promote
critical thinking among the youth and
students so as to equip them with skills
to challenge ideas that are promoted
online by extremists.

Many young people get their
information from the internet and there
should be greater investment at the
school and community levels to promote
safe use of the web.
Parents also need to be encouraged to
monitor what their children are
browsing and reading.
Policy development should be informed
by research and data and draw from
measures that have been successful in
stemming the recruitment and
mobilisation of the youth into criminal
enterprises, gangs, and extremist
movements.
This could contribute to addressing the
perception that radicalisation only
affects Muslim communities.
Effective prevention of extremism is
local. To that effect, the national
strategy should take into account the
important role that county governments
can play.
It is only by strengthening community-
level efforts and upholding the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights that
the war against violent extremism can
be won.

AL-SHABAAB TOKENI!!

Na: George Mwangi Maina.

Machozi yatiririka, kupukupu yanirowa

Huzuni kikombe tele, kenda zake mpenzi

Tangulia mwaka Jana, chuo kikuu Garissani

Bunduki kaonyeshewa, ikawa ndo mwisho wake

Alshabaab tukomeni!


N'likupenda kwa dhati,ya mtima wangu wote

Hakika sijadiriki, ndoo umepiga teke

Kwa nini uliniacha, ghafla we kipenzi

Simanzi na upweke,salio langu daima

Alshabaab tukomeni!


Hakika 'asali' yangu, huba zetu 'tazilinda

Sinayo nia nyengine, ya kutafuta mwengine

Japo umetangulia, niko nawe buriani

Dawa yangu ya penzi, kwaheri ya kuonana

Alshabaab tukomeni!


Huba zisizo kipimo, daima 'tazikumbuka

Kipenzi tulipatana, Garissa tukapendana

Tukafunga urafiki, Wa kudumu aushini

Tukaasi upwekee, nazo huba zikazidi

Alshabaab tukomeni!


Alshabaab wakaja, mtutu kakumaliza

Ulipojijajiisha, kutoasi dini yako

Bunduki kaonyeshewa, 'kafyatuliwa risasi

Kipenzi wasamehe, Jalali 'takuzawadi

Alshabaab tukomeni!


Wamwaga damu nyie, machozi mwaniletea

Mbona mkammaliza, tegemeo la aila

Mwaniletea ukiwa, na upweke wa daima

Kwaheri ya kuonana, mpenzi mwenye huba

 Alshabaab tukomeni!


Mamako akulilia, Alshabaab 'la'ni

Aprili tarehe mbili, 'tabakia kumbukizi

Uchungu ulipitia, wa mtutu kichwanii

Mpenzi ulikufa, sababu hamnaazo

Alshabaab tukomeni!


Hakika nimeghairi, sitopata mwengineo

Shanga mingi ulonipa, hifadhi la pendo letu

Taziliinda daima, ukumbusho wako kwangu

Dunia rangi rangire, hakika rangi rangire

Alshabaab tukomeni!


Naani kawadanganya, bikra sabini tapata

Mfikapo mbele zake, Jalali tawahukumu

Nyie wauaji insi, pamoja mtachomeka

Kwenu daima dawama, nyie wamwagaji damu


Alshabaab tukomeni!

UKUMBUSHO WA WAATHIRIWA WA GARISSA KUFANYIKA

By Wanyonyi Simiyu

Makumbusho ya wanazuo walioangamia kwenye vamizi la kutisha lililofanyika kwenye Chuo kishirikishi cha Moi bewa la Garissa umepangwa kufanyika mwezi kesho. Kamati iliyoteuliwa kupanga mikakati ya ukumbusho huo ilikutana jumannekwenye ofisi ya mdiri wa wanafunzi ili kuhakikisha ufanifu wa ukumbusho huo. Tarehe mbili Aprili ndiyo tarehe iliyopangwa.

Katika mkutanohuo, shughuli mbalimbali zilipendekezwa kufanyika siku hiyo.Baadhi ya shughuli hizo ni kufanyika kwa mkutano wa maombi utakaoongozwa na shirika la FOCUS KENYA. Upanzi wa miti kama kitambulisho cha walioaga pia umepangiwa kufanyika.Vile vile kuna viongozi wa kitaifa ambao wataalikwa kwenye ukumbusho huo.

Kamati ya wanafunzi ilijumuisha wawakilishi wa uongozi wa MUSO na waliokuwa viongozi wa chuo hicho kabla kutokea kwa kisa hicho. MUSO iliwakilishwa na Elvis Langas huku uongozi wa Garissa ukiwakilishwa na Steve Mwangi ambaye alikuwa katibu mkuu, Collins waliaula Wetangula ambaye alikuwa naibu mwenyekiti, Daniel Kinuthia ambaye alikuwa mkurugenzi wa fedha na Jomo Samuel ambaye alikuwa msimamizi wa michezo. Mashirika ya FOCUS KENYA na DIPAD pia yaliwakilishwa.

Kando na hayo kutakuwa na kuzinduliwa kwa vitabu kutoka kwa Daniel Kinuthia na Clinton Odhiambo ambavyo vimefungamanishwa na matukio yale ya Garissa. Vile vile msanii Brian maarufu kama Bradfyter anatarajia kuzindua wimbo mpya wenye maudhui ya yaliotokea.

Wanamgambo wa Alshabab walivamia chuo kikuu cha Moi bewa la Garissa na kuwaua watu 147 ambao wengi walikuwa wanafunzi. Zaidi ya wanafunzi 500 walinusurika huku 79 wakipata majeraha.