THE Mpeketoni killings on June 15-16 that left 65 people dead was a terrorist attack and not politically instigated, according to a report by a Coast human rights organization.

The detailed, 17-page report released yesterday by Haki Africa said investigations on the ground showed that the killings were carried out by the Somali al Shabaab militants.

The report downplayed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s assertion that an area political network was linked to the attack targeting a certain community for ethnic cleansing.

“In our opinion, prima facie evidence that we have come across gives more credence to the al Shabaab claims than to those of the President,” said Hussain Khalid, executive director of Haki Africa.

After the attack, President Uhuru appeared on national television, discounted an al Shabaab role and said the attack on two nights was a well-planned, orchestrated and politically motivated campaign against a Kenyan community. The aim was to profile and evict settlers for political reasons, he said.

Lamu governor Issa Timamy has since been charged in Mombasa court on suspicion of involvement in the attack, which he denied. He was released on Sh5 million cash bail after the court said the government had failed to prove he should be detained for further investigation.

Speaking during the launch of the human rights report, Khalid said it was established that some of the attackers were of Somali origin.

The report said that all the witness and survivors interviewed said the language used by the attackers included Somali.

“At the same time, no witness or survivor reported political overtones or stereotyping coming from attackers,” the report said.

It observed that Mpeketoni was not the first al Shabaab attack in the Lamu area, citing the abduction of a French tourist in October 2011 in Manda by the same militants.

The human rights group sent experts to Mpeketoni last week to determine what really happened and separate fact from fiction.

It noted that Somalia-based al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was retaliation for violence by the Kenyan Defence Forces in Somalia. Khalid accused Kenyan politicians of using the insecurity problem to gain political mileage.

The government rushed to judgment before an investigation was completed and immediately blamed the opposition in “an example of politicizing security,” Khalid said.

The rights organization urged improved security by devolving security management to the counties. “The government must open up security committees, especially at the county, and bring onboard county government officials, the public and private sector and civil society organizations,” he said. “Only by working together security can be guaranteed.”

Source: The Star