Kenya: Greater Protection for Local Elders Amid Al-Shabab Threat
| Publisher | Jamestown Foundation |
| Author | Alexander Sehmer |
| Publication Date | 24 June 2016 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 13 |
| Cite as | Jamestown Foundation, Kenya: Greater Protection for Local Elders Amid Al-Shabab Threat, 24 June 2016, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 13, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/577268844.html [accessed 19 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Link to original story on Jamestown website
Five Kenyan police officers were killed and another five injured in an attack by suspected al-Shabab fighters as they escorted a passenger bus in Kenya's Mandera County on June 20 (Radio Dalsan, June 20). The five were killed when the Toyota Landcruiser they were travelling in was hit by an RPG. Meanwhile, in the hours after the Mandera County attack, Kenyan security forces made several arrests at a mosque in Lamu (The Star, June 21). They also claimed to have thwarted a terrorist attack in Kwale Country and killed a wanted al-Shabab commander (The Star, June 20). The spate of incidents follows al-Shabab's threats to intensify attacks during Ramadan and a warning from police officials over al-Shabab activity (The Star, June 10).
The supposedly thwarted attack in Kwale carries some significance for local security officials accused of not doing enough to prevent the killing of three Nymba Kumi elders in the county, shot dead supposedly by al-Shabab fighters in what appear to be execution-style killings in their homes at the end of last month (Citizen Digital, May 29). All three men had spoken out against the Somali militant group.
Nyumba Kumi is effectively a government-backed community policing initiative that is devoted to local elders' matters that might ordinarily be handled by state law enforcement agencies. Proposed in 2014, it has had a degree of success mediating local disputes. Officials in Kenya's Garissa County, with its large ethnic Somali population, credit Nyumba Kumi elders with curbing inter-clan violence (Hivisasa, June 20).
The killing of the three men in Kwale - at least one of whom, Hassan Mwasanite, was a local religious leader - has sparked anger and given rise to calls for greater protection for Nymba Kumi elders. Officials appear to have been responsive. The tough-talking coordinator for the Coast region, Nelson Marwa, criticized local security officials and called on residents to go over their heads and feed intelligence directly to his office in Mombasa (Daily Nation, May 30).
Although ill equipped to carry out anti-terror operations themselves, the close connections Nymba Kumi officials have with their local community make them a potentially valuable tool in the government's wider security strategy. Something Marwa, promoted to his role at the beginning of the year based on his strong security credentials, likely appreciates.
