Mombasa Republic

The Mombasa Republic is a proposed state that would encompass the former Coast Province of Kenya. The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) in the main separatist organisation to argue that Mombasa should secede from Kenya to become an independent state.[3][4] They argued that secession would liberate the people of the coast province from marginalization by successive governments in Kenya. Their slogan is Pwani Si Kenya ("The Coast is not Kenya").[5][6][7]

Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) independence Flag[1]
Mombasa Republican Council protests in Kenya[2]

The MRC is a constitutional organization and aims to represent persons of all religions and tribes living in the Mombasa coastal strip.[8] Mombasa has a unique cultural identity and history that long predates the current colonial borders of Africa. It has both Muslim and Christian supporters.[9] The leader of the group is Omar Mwamnuadzi. The group denies claims by government officials that it has forged links with Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabaab.[10]

The Organization of Emerging African States (OEAS) supports the MRC program as a legitimate expression of self-determination under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.[8]

History

The Mombasa Republican Council was formed in 1999 to address perceived political and economic discrimination against the people of the Coast Province.[11] The group traces its secession claims to the 1895 and 1963 agreements transferring the ten-mile strip of land along the coast to Kenya from Zanzibar. Some critics characterize these British agreements as a form of bribery designed to facilitate colonization of the interior. The group contests these agreements as invalid because the British Government enacted them without the consent of coastal stakeholders, claiming that the state of Kenya has failed to honor the provisions designed to protect the coastal population.[12]

In 2014, Omar Mwamnuadzi was arrested along with 11 other MRC members and charged with holding an illegal gathering and planning to breach the peace.[10]

Secession claims

The Mombasa Republican Council was dormant until 2008, when it first raised claims that Mombasa should secede from Kenya to become an independent state. They argued that secession would liberate the people of the coast province from marginalization by successive governments in Kenya.[5] In response, the government declared the group to be an illegal organization, along with 33 other groups.[5]

The Mombasa Republican Council contested the government's decision in court. The High Court in Mombasa lifted the ban, and ruled that claiming the group was illegal was unconstitutional.[13]

Peri-election violence

MRC members have been associated with violence, beginning from around the time of the 2013 election.[14]

In June 2022, 81 suspected members of the MRC in Kilifi County were arrested while undertaking oaths to take over the leadership of the country,[15] with violence continuing as part of the buildup to the August 2022 elections.[16][17]

References
  1. "MOMBASA REPUBLICAN COUNCIL (MRC) JOINS OEAS".
  2. "A Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) protest". 24 April 2012.
  3. "Insight - Separatist storm brewing on Kenya's coast". Reuters UK. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  4. Kithi, Ngumbao (2012). "Standard Digital News : 'Gang' seeks 'independence' for Mombasa from Kenya". standardmedia.co.ke. Standard Group Limited. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  5. "allAfrica.com: Kenya: Mombasa Republican Council - Liberators or Nascent Radical Fanatics?". allafrica.com. June 27, 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  6. "Welcome to nginx eaa1a9e1db47ffcca16305566a6efba4!185.15.56.1". Archived from the original on 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  7. Luc Torres (6 September 2012). "The separatist map of Africa: interactive". the Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  8. "Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) Joins OEAS". ModernGhana. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  9. "Contagion of discontent". The Economist. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  10. "Kenya's MRC leader Omar Mwamnuadzi charged". BBC News. 16 October 2014.
  11. "Kenya's Mombasa Republican Council : The Coast calls for freedom [501811752] | African news, analysis and opinion – The Africa Report.com". theafricareport.com. May 17, 2012. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012. political and economic discrimination
  12. Goldsmith, Paul (November 2011). "Microsoft Word - 11-11-17 MRC Conflict Assessment Report - Final - MRC_Conflict_Assessment_Threats_and_Opportunities_for_Engagement.pdf" (PDF). kecosce.org. Retrieved 26 July 2012. independent demographi
  13. "Court lifts Mombasa Republican Council ban". Nation. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  14. Atieno, Winnie (29 July 2021). "Kenya: Why Government Wants Mrc Members to Surrender". allAfrica.com.
  15. Njoka, Sophie (30 June 2022). "Kilifi: Police arrest 81 members of outlawed Mombasa Republican Council : K24 TV". www.k24tv.co.ke. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  16. Praxides, Cheti. "Coast youth warned against joining gangs to cause chaos". The Star.
  17. Raleigh, Clionadh (9 August 2022). "Kenya's Political Violence Landscape in the Lead-Up to the 2022 Elections". ACLED.
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