Kenya: Al Shabaab Is Still Recruiting in Kenya - Report
By Adow Mohamed
Monday, September 29, 2014 - 00:00
AL SHABAAB and other local terror networks are taking advantage of
historical injustices of marginalisation to advance their agenda, a new
report has said.
The report, released on Friday by think tank International Crisis Group,
said extremists are actively seeking to appeal to the most alienated members
of Kenyan society to spread their influence, especially among the youth.
Titled "Kenya: Al Shabaab Closer to Home", the ICG report explains how local
terror networks with a global jihadist agenda have used "grievances of
marginalisation among Muslim communities in Nairobi, the Coast and North
Eastern and institutional discrimination at a national level".
It goes on: "Not only are there plenty of immediate grievances to exploit,
but nearly two decades of radicalisation and recruitment in Kenya means that
the threat is both imminent and deep. The absence of a common Kenyan Muslim
agenda and leadership has meant little resistance to the extremist message".
Therefore, as a measure to contain the growing threats of radicalisation,
the ICG said the government should facilitate Muslim-driven madrasas and
mosque reforms, which should entail review and approval of the curriculum
taught and vetting of mosque committees.
Already, a new curriculum aimed at streamlining Islamic studies is being
fronted to ensure extremist teachings are not propagated in madrasas. It is
a joint effort by al-Muntada al-Islami Trust, an international charity
organisation based in the United Kingdom, in partnership with the Council of
Muslim Scholars in Kenya, the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims and
representatives from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.
The government has on many occasions alleged that some mosques and Islamic
schools (madarasas) are used as training hubs for terrorists, allegations
the Muslim community have always denied. Recently, CID director Ndegwa
Muhoro said the government is planning to shut down some mosques that are
being used to radicalise the youth.
The Brussels-based think tank also urged the government to implement the
recommendations of the 2008 Presidential Special Action Committee to Address
Specific Concerns of the Muslim Community in Regard to Alleged Harassment
and/or Discrimination in the Application/Enforcement of the Law, popularly
known as the Sharawe Commission Report (after its chairman, Engineer A.M.H.
Sharawe) as a measure to address the grievances of the Muslim community in
this country.
The commission was established by the then President Mwai Kibaki in 2007 to
"look into and address specific concerns raised by the Muslim community with
regard to alleged harassment and discrimination in the process of the
application of the law particularly as regards security issues".
The committee found a range of discrepancies, from serious abuses suffered
by Muslims during state security operations to discriminatory practices in
the issuance of national identity cards and passports. It also cited the
problems of regional underdevelopment, the propagation of negative
stereotypes in the country's media and shortage of Islamic religious
education teachers. The Sharawe Committee submitted its final report in
March 2008, but the government has never released it and the findings were
never publicly discussed or implemented.
The ICG therefore said failure to address such grievances is serving only to
lose further hearts and minds of the Muslim community to the extremists. It
further asked political leaders to put aside partisan divisions "because
[they] almost inevitably translate into communal strife; playing politics
with terrorism compounds an already volatile situation".
"Instead of closing ranks as they managed - just - in the aftermath of
Westgate, Kenya's political elites have bought into the deadly discourse of
ethnic and religious recriminations," the Group said.
To prevent a further deterioration of security and deny al Shabaab an ever
greater foothold, the report asked the government, opposition parties and
the Muslim leadership to carefully consider the impact of future official
operations such as Operation Usalama Watch and paramilitary operations of
the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, especially when such actions appear to
target whole communities.
The report said the recent Usalama Watch operation, for instance, has
alienated communities whose "cooperation and support is vital in the fight
against terrorism".
It said the State should allow transparent investigations and redress where
operations are found to have exceeded the rule of law and constitutional
rights and safeguards.
The report further notes the 2011 military intervention in Somalia has
"hastened the expansion of al Shabaab's campaigns into the homeland". The
think tank said the impact of the Somalia invasion on domestic security has
been "severely underestimated".
While the killing of al Shabaab leader Ahmed Godane removed the
organisation's key strategist, his death will have implications for Kenyan
operatives as the terrorists will seek to maintain their relevance with the
new leadership.
The government should also acknowledge, the report said, the distinct al
Shabaab threat inside the country without conflating it with political
opposition, other outlawed organisations or specific communities.
The Group urges the government to put further efforts into implementing and
supporting the new county government structures and agencies, to start
addressing local grassroots issues of socio-economic marginalisation and
also address institutional discrimination against Muslims (for instance,
issuance of identity cards and passports) and better (proportional)
representation of Muslims in senior public service appointments.