The MPs led by Garissa County Senator Yusuf Haji and Senate Deputy Minority Leader Abdirahman Hassan said the information by leaders from the area would help break the terrorist network and help the government fight youth radicalization.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 17 – Forty MPs from Northern Kenya have expressed support for National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale and said they will produce names of those with terror links in their own time, not necessarily in 30 days.
The MPs led by Garissa County Senator Yusuf Haji and Senate Deputy Minority Leader Abdirahman Hassan said the information by leaders from the area would help break the terrorist network and help the government fight youth radicalization.
“We stand by our leader Aden Duale in this fight to counter the threat of terrorism and no amount of intimidation or statement from short sighted personalities will ever dim our spirits,” Haji told a news conference attended by 19 MPs out of 40 who signed the statement.
Sakaja and Mukurweini’s Kabando wa Kabando on Thursday led 13 Jubilee Coalition MPs in questioning why Duale who is the area MP, had to wait until the Garissa University College massacre to come forth a pledge to reveal what he knows.
READ: I won’t quit over terror remarks, says Duale
Haji led the group in reaffirming their faith in the leadership and commitment of Duale to the fight against terrorism.
Wajir Senator Hassan added; “A few of the political leaders think the fight on the Al-Shabaab can be undertaken at the floor of the National Assembly; the likes of Johnson Sakaja are cowards. Let them go to the field and talk boldly about terrorism so that we fight a common enemy.”
Mandera West MP Mahamud Maalim said the much publicized list of terrorists and sympathisers will not be made public but handed to security agencies.
“At no time did we talk about giving a list in a week anyway, at no time did we talk about giving a list in 30 days; we said we will start the process of identifying within that time.”
“We have told people to come out and tell us where their children are without fear. We have told them to say who are in the Al-Shabaab and the results are coming out, it was never intended to share the list with the press or with anybody,” Maalim stated.
Duale has been under pressure from fellow legislators and religious leaders after he stated that he is going to produce names of those who finance the terrorist group in 30 days, and the fact that the latest terrorist attack happened in his Garissa Township constituency.
Senator Hassan told off Sakaja saying the attempt to associate Duale and the entire Northern Kenya to terrorism is misguided, ill-intended and aimed at dividing Kenyans on ethical and religious line in line with Al-Shabaab tactics.
“I don’t want us to be overtaken by finger pointing but leaders from the Northern Kenya have resolved to fight terrorism from the front let us not politicise the fight against terrorism, we will actually lose if we do that, the cowards must join us, the train has started to move in the north east and its unstoppable, in regards to the fight against terrorism,” said the Wajir Senator.
Bura MP Ali Wario and his Saku counterpart Ali Rasso instead asked Sakaja to resign for politicizing the war against terror.
“It is Sakaja who should resign for providing a divisive attitude in our country in this very difficult moment. We dare him to try and impeach Duale if he thinks he has that power,” Rasso said.
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