Reports Leo Odera Omolo
The Kenyan coastal port city of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean is under siege following the shooting to death of the radical Islamic preacher Aboud Rogo this morning by unknown gun-men.
The preacher who is suspected of having link with the Alqaeda backed Al-Shabaab Islamist terrorists in the neighboring Somali was sot sixteen times at close range by unknown assailants.
The incident took place at a place called Majengo King’orani suburb of Mombasa. The attackers shot Aboud Rogo at close range while he was sitting inside his car with his wife who he was taking to the hospital, Hs wife sustain gunshot wound on her leg, but survived and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
The controversial Islamic preacher was driving his car with hi wife in the passenger seat along the Mombasa-Malindi highway this morning when he attacks occurred.
A vehicle suspected to have ferried he unknown attackers over took his vehicle and the gun-men hiding inside the second car opened fire on him. He was shot sixteen times according to the police who launched investigations immediately.
Immediately the news of the slaying went round through this busy port city, Muslim enraged youth rioted and engaged the antiriot police for the better part of the day.
One man was killed in the process, Salvation Army church was torched, a police vehicle was set ablaze and reduced into ashes, and Evangelist Center was attacked vandalized and looted.
The youth mainly from the Muslims seemed to have targeted establishment with Christianity connections. The police and other security apparatus were beefed into the city center where the massive looting and destruction o property of unknown quantity took place.
Businesses in the Central Business District {CBD} quickly closed down and remain inaccessible for the better part of the day as police engaged the youth in a running street battle for the whole day.
Mombasa which situated along the shore of Indian Ocean is Kenya’s second largest city. It is housing he busiest port, which is also serving most of the landlocked African nations of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, DR Congo, Northern Tanzania, Central African Republic and to a lesser extent Zambia.
The slain radical Islamic preacher died while had a court pending case in which he was facing serious criminal charges of conducting terrorism related activities n Kenya. He died when he was under twenty four hours security surveillance on suspicion of allegedly having close link with Somalia based Al-Shabaab militia groups suspected of being funded by Alqaeda international terrorist group from the Arab nations.
Meanwhile, Kenya the Eastern African nations which has enjoyed relatively calm, political stability ever since it gained its political independence from its former colonial power, the Great Britain in 1963 is currently bleeding to death.
Close to 70 people died last week in various parts of the country as the result of politically motivated ethno-politics.
In the coastal remote district of Tana River I an area commonly known as Tana Delta, 31 women and 11 children were massacred last Wednesday following the tribal skirmishes between the nomadic Orma tribesmen and their agriculturally rich Pokomo tribesmen.
Close to 100 dwelling houses were set ablaze. Properties of unknown value were destroyed. The midnight attack saw the attackers slashing and spearing livestock to death. More than 100 houses were razed down and turned into ashes.
In Nairobi last Thursday the Acting Internal Security Minister Yusuf Haji told the hushed house that an Assistant Minister in the same government was the principal suspect as the one who had incited his community into violence against their neighbors.
The Minister disclosed that he had ordered the police security and a team of the Criminal Investigation Department [CID} of the Kenya police to investigate the incident and tae the most appropriate legal action against the inciters.
Haji who is also Kenya’s Defense Minister pointed an accusing finger at the Assistant Minister for Livestock Dhadho Godhana who was present in the House at the time. The Assistant Minister is the Mp for the affected area in Tana River. As the Minister was addressing the most attentive MPs they shouted “Sack him! Sack him!”
The Minister accused the Assistant Minister for having adamantly refused to take part in a reconciliation meeting called by the government to reconcile the warring communities.
The next day the Assistant Minister defiantly told newsmen that he would not such a meeting if it is chaired by Minister Haji whom he accused of having vested interests in the Tana Delta.
Meanwhile 20 other Kenyans have died in the past wee in towns located along the volatile Kenya-Somalia border, and also along the Kenya-Ethiopia border.
Most of the killing occurred in areas whose inhabitants are people of Somali origin suspected of being sympathetic to the cause of Al-Shabaab militias in Somalia.
The most affected border towns included Garrissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit and Lagdera all located in the semi-arid North Eastern Province of Kenya. The province is also housing thousands of refugees from Somalia, Uganda ad Ethiopia.
These Kenyans have died either of gun-shot wounds, hand grenade and explosive devices hurled at them by suspected Somali terrorists.
Kenya is rapidly losing its status as the haven of peace tranquility. During the same week that ended last Sunday, reports from the Southern part of the country says, there was an outbreak of fighting between the Kenya Maasais and the Tanzanian Sonjo tribesmen
The usually calm an quiet Kenya-Tanzania border burst into fighting and bloodbath when Tanzanians crossed the border while armed with guns, arrows, spears ad other crude weapons and made incursion into Narok South district along he border of the two countries.
Naro South District Commissioner Chimwaga Mongo confirmed the incident. He said Sonjo peasants from Tanzania crossed into Kenta and burned down houses in a small trading center seriously injuring scores of people in the villages.
The D.C said Sonjo peasants from neighboring Tanzania invaded Olorte area, in Loita Division, Narok South district. The invaders burnt down a Manyatta leaving close to 500 people homeless The Manyatta cuts across Kenya-Tanzania border’
The armed tribesmen invaded the area fired several shots in the air to scare way the residents. The left two people with serious gun-and arrow wounds
The D.C said after the attack the invaders invaded the farms and harvest maize I the field. However they invader were confronted by the armed Administration Police stationed t the nearby chief’s camp who repulsed them.
The motive of the dawn attack is not y known, but it could be linked to perennial rivalry between the Sonjos ad the Maasais over the grazing field. To Keya government officials are reported to be in the process of dispatching delegation to Dar E Salaam for a dialogue with Tanzanian authorities. At the local level the community leaders from both sides would soon meet next week to try and iron out the differences.
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