§16§The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) has been denounced by the Kenyan government as an illegal group and has therefore been declared as one of the militia groups like Mungiki, Bagdad Boys, and The Sabaot Land Defense etc. MRC forcefully emerged in 2005 when they started demanding for the secession of the coastal region away from Kenya and their motto became...Pwani si Kenya (Coast is not Kenya). MRC claims that Coastal Communities have been turned into squatters and their land taken by outsiders (people from up countries...wabara). The group believe they are poor because these few people from outside communities are rich a fact supported by the majority of the nine Coastal communities/tribes (Miji Kenda). MRC emerged as a force/group to fight for the rights of the Coastal people and they say for the region to gain back their land, it must break away from Kenya and so is the calls for secession. As a result, MRC have resorted into the use of violence, killings and threats, acts whi §16§ch have caused the Kenyan government to respond violently by killing, arresting and jailing any purported member and why some leaders chosen to either support the MRC call or to remain silent.
