Kenya is a safe haven for drug traffickers

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By Dann Okoth

Kenya ranks among the leading hot spots for international drugs trafficking after recent drug hauls linked to high profile politicians.

The hard drugs aside, a disturbing scenario is emerging where Kenya is becoming the flash point for global trafficking in bhang – with a link to Tanzania’s cannabis growing fields.

The more shocking situation, perhaps, is the apparent reluctance by police to do anything about it even as the cartels grow bolder – including having the audacity to draft children into their ignominous trade.

"It is big business. They make big money and are well-connected. It is delicate for law enforcement agencies," said Deputy Police Spokesperson Owino Wahongo, when asked what police are doing to stop the trade.

"Although the majority are small-time cannabis traffickers, if put together including those operating from Tanzania, Busia and other parts of the country, then you are dealing with a very large group.

"They are also not acting alone because they are connected to larger, more elaborate cartels. The police are dealing with a complicated web of syndicate – it needs a lot of intelligence," he says.

About 35 tons of cannabis find way into Kenya from Tanzania each week, with majority of the consignment transshipped to Western Europe and Middle East, with the leftovers being sold locally.

The cannabis curse for Kenya originates from Tanzania’s north-eastern districts of Tarime and Sirare, where farmers grow it commercially.

Tug of war

The stuff then finds its way into Kenya via the many panya routes that dot the entire length of the expansive border between Kenya and Tanzania.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (Unodc) figures says Africa contributes between about 24 per cent of global cannabis. Major producers include Benin, Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo, Zambia, Egypt and Morocco.

Compared to other regions, Africa is one of the largest annual sources of cannabis production and ranks among the top regions with respect to the number and volume of annual local cannabis seizures.

While cannabis is known to be widely produced in Africa, and some cannabis-related production, distribution, retail value, and use trends can be discerned, detailed country-level data on these phenomena are often lacking.

But the cannabis connection only exacerbates an already bad drugs situation for Kenya, which now threatens to destroy a whole generation of young people.

The country now reels under the effects of narcotics, as evidenced in runaway drug addiction among the youth, rising crime and shattered social fabric, but drug barons continue to operate with abandon amidst stalled investigations and lack of action by the State.

According to analyses by the US Government and multilateral agencies, Kenya and Ethiopia are notable transshipment hubs for heroin from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

And East Africa is the primary smuggling conduit for moving heroin from Southwest Asia to Africa for further transshipment around the globe, according to the International Narcotics Control Board.

Intriguingly, the syndicates in Kenya have infiltrated the Government with the law enforcement agencies being involved in the murky trade – police officers, armed forces personnel and Government officials have been drafted to work for the cartels.

Suffice it to say the drugs rings also command Kenya’s freight system, including owning and commanding huge shares in the major freight companies, have influence over the entire depots network in the country and are deeply entrenched at Kenya Revenue Authority.

But it is the level of official complicity in aiding, abetting and facilitating drugs permeation in the country that is more shocking.

The citizens expressed a high level of frustration with the poor handling of investigation and prosecution by the Kenya Police and the Department of Public Prosecutions of people suspected of trafficking the 1141.5kg cocaine seized in 2004 in Malindi and Nairobi.

There was a tug of war between the courts and police commissioner over production of the drugs before the court, although technically, the drugs were under the court’s jurisdiction once the case commenced. One of the only three police officers said to have keys to the storage facility was murdered early last year under suspicious circumstances. Several of his immediate family members were also killed, sending a chilling message to all those who were positively involved with the case.

Sadly these cartels have also infiltrated the cannabis trade with devastating consequences. The police have been blamed for abetting the trade, especially by not doing enough to halt trans-highway shipment of cannabis.

"Even with limited resources the Kenya police are doing our best to contain the problem," Wahongo says in defence of the force.

"It is important for the police to spread their nets wide to inspect every vehicle on the road and not just the public service vehicles," says Jorim Othengo, who runs a car hire company. He says one of his vehicles has been used to ship cannabis several times. He says many car-hire companies are unwittingly dealing with drug traffickers.

"Indeed the industry should devise ways of vetting our customers to know who exactly we are dealing with," he says.

Opinion on Al Shabaab war divided - YouTube

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Mogadishu Bomb Kills at Least Two as Kenyan Troops Advance Over Border - Bloomberg

A bomb exploded in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, after the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab vowed to resist Kenya’s military intervention in the southern part the country.

The explosion outside a complex of ministry buildings killed at least two people, Kamal Ali Abdi, a shopkeeper who witnessed the blast, said by phone. The bombing took place as Kenyan Defense Minister Yusuf Haji and Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula visited the city for talks with President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s goverment on the military operation.

“They attack us by air and on the border; we must unite and fight back until we clear our territory,” a leader of the Islamist movement, Sheikh Hassan Abdulahi Hersi, said in a voice recording on Radio al-Furqaan, a station that supports al- Shabaab. “The Kenyan government will lose many people and assets because of its intervention in our territory.”

Kenyan soldiers entered Somalia on Oct. 16 after the kidnapping of foreign tourists and aid workers in Kenya that officials blame on al-Shabaab, which has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.

Kenyan troops today advanced deeper inside Somalia and may target the port of Kismayo in their drive to thwart attacks by al-Shabaab, a defense department spokesman said. Kismayo would be a key target because control of the port gives al-Shabaab revenue.

Heavy Rains

The Kenyans and forces loyal to Somalia’s Western-backed transitional government have secured the towns of Tabda and Afmadow, which is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the Kenyan border, the spokesman, Emmanuel Chirchir, said today by phone from the Kenyan town of Garissa. Heavy rains have slowed the troops’ advance, he said.

“The next town is Kismayo,” he said. “The troops are ready for anything. If it takes us to December they are willing to celebrate Christmas there.”

Somalia, on Kenya’s northern border, hasn’t had a functioning government, police force or court system since the 1991 overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Al-Shabaab has waged a four-year campaign to remove the transitional administration and controls most of southern and central Somalia.

“Kenya’s military is one of the more professional militaries in Africa, with particularly close ties with the British, and the U.S. has helped as well,” Thomas Cargill, assistant head of the Africa Program at the Chatham House research group, said today from London. “They are as well equipped as anyone in Africa, outside of South Africa and Angola.”

African Union

About 9,000 Ugandan and Burundian soldiers form the African Union-led peacekeeping force in Somalia. U.S.-backed Ethiopian forces invaded the country in December 2006 to oust the Islamist government that had captured southern Somalia.

Deteriorating security along the Kenya-Somalia border was highlighted by the Oct. 13 kidnapping of two foreign aid workers from the medical group Medecins Sans Frontieres by armed men from Somalia at a refugee camp in northeastern Kenya. Somalis fleeing famine and war have poured across the border this year and Kenya now hosts 590,000 United Nations-registered Somali refugees, three-quarters of whom live in the Dadaab complex, the world’s largest refugee facility.

Tourist Killed

British tourist David Tebbutt was killed and his wife, Judith, was abducted last month at a resort in Kiwayu, 503 kilometers southeast of Nairobi, and is being held hostage in Somalia. On Oct. 1, Marie Dedieu, a 66-year-old disabled French woman, was kidnapped from a house on nearby Manda Island by gunmen from al-Shabaab, Tourism Minister Najib Balala said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.

“I don’t think Kenya planned this in a week. They must have done a lot of background, and decided that it was necessary for Kenya to send troops into Somalia,” Ndungu Wainaina, executive director of the Nairobi-based International Centre for Policy and Conflict, said by phone today.

The Lamu archipelago, where the incidents took place, is one of Kenya’s main attractions for tourists who generated 73.7 billion shillings ($740 million) for the country last year, the second-largest foreign-exchange earner after tea. The U.K. government changed its travel advice on Oct. 1 to recommend that visitors to Kenya avoid non-essential visits within 150 kilometers of the border with Somalia.

Kenya is counting on a tripling of tourists to 3 million a year by 2015 to help achieve its goal of 10 percent economic growth.

“This intervention came about because of concerns about external perceptions of Kenya; the tourist industry is very worried because of these kidnappings,” Cargill said. “This is a response intended to try and address those.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah McGregor in Nairobi at smcgregor5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net

Kenya Sends Troops to Pursue Al-Shabaab Rebels in Somalia After Abductions - Bloomberg

Kenya’s government said it has taken “robust measures” to protect the country against al-Shabaab, the rebel group in neighboring Somalia, after foreign tourists and aid workers were abducted.

The action was in self-defense as defined by the United Nations, the government said in an e-mailed statement today without giving details of the operation. Kenyan soldiers entered Somalia yesterday to combat al-Shabaab and create a buffer zone of 100 kilometers (62 miles) on Somali territory, the Daily Nation reported, citing unidentified security officials.

Somalia, on Kenya’s northern border, hasn’t had a functioning government, police force or court system since the 1991 overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Al-Shabaab has waged a four-year campaign to remove President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s Western-backed administration and controls most of southern and central Somalia.

Somalia’s government has military alliances in the region. About 9,000 Ugandan and Burundian soldiers form the African Union-led peacekeeping force in Somalia. U.S.-backed Ethiopian forces invaded the country in December 2006 to oust the Islamist government that had captured southern Somalia.

Kenya has trained Somalia’s military and allied fighters, Rashid Abdi, a Horn of Africa analyst with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, said today by phone from Nairobi, Kenya’s capital.

‘Show of Might’

The recent kidnappings of foreigners from Kenya, which officials blame on al-Shabaab, may have prompted the government to step up its action to show that Kenya has the ability to protect its citizens, investors and tourists, Abdi said.

“This is a show of might rather than a military strategy to free those who have been abducted or to try and hold territory in southern Somalia,” Abdi said. “It’s likely a short excursion to show that Kenya is not impassive and it’s willing to act.”

British tourist David Tebbutt was killed and his wife, Judith, was abducted last month at a resort in Kiwayu, 500 kilometers southeast of Nairobi, and is being held hostage in Somalia. On Oct. 1, Marie Dedieu, a 66-year-old disabled French woman, was kidnapped from a house on nearby Manda Island by gunmen from al-Shabaab.

Two foreign aid workers employed by the medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres were kidnapped near a refugee camp in northeastern Kenya by a group of armed men from Somalia on Oct. 13. Somalis fleeing famine and war have poured across the border this year and Kenya now hosts 590,000 United Nations-registered Somali refugees, three-quarters of whom live in the Dadaab complex, the world’s largest refugee facility.

Forces Move In

Kenyan tanks, jet fighters and helicopters moved into Somalia today, the London-based Telegraph reported, citing residents in the Somali town of Dhobley.

A technical problem or pilot error is suspected of causing the crash yesterday of a military helicopter in which five crew members died at the Kenyan border town of Liboi, Nairobi-based radio station Capital FM reported today on its website, citing Military Operations Information Officer Major Emmanuel Chirchir.

Somalia government spokesman Abdirahman Omar Osman said Kenyan troops are massed along the border.

“We have an excellent working relationship with Kenya in terms of security,” he said today by phone from Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. “What we understand is that Kenya is overseeing the border. They are supporting our troops but I can assure you they are not in Somalia.”

Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua didn’t answer five calls to his mobile phone and one to his office today seeking comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Ombok in Nairobi at eombok@bloomberg.net; Sarah McGregor in Nairobi at smcgregor5@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nasreen Seria at nseria@bloomberg.net.

Kenya to fight Al-Shabaab | Extremism አጥባቂነት

Kenyan forces are believed to be already engaging with Al-Shabaab elements inside Somalia, signalling a clear determination by the country to defend itself from incessant attacks by insurgents.

On Saturday, the Government — through two ministers —made it clear it was exercising its right to self-defence against continued aggression that risks undermining the country’s economic and security interests.

Kenya invoked this right – provided for under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter – in the face of flagrant violation of its territorial integrity and national economy by Al-Shabaab terror group.

Kenya military personnel during a border patrol. Kenya should be more aggressive in securing borders to tame Al shabaab attacks. Picture: File/Standard

The formal announcement signals the country’s determination to pursue legitimate Al-Shabaab targets and groups anywhere, including inside Somalia, which has not had a functioning Government since dictator Siad Barre was deposed in 1991 – with the intention to respond and prevent future attacks.

At a press conference in Nairobi, Defence Minister Yusuf Haji and his Internal Security counterpart George Saitoti also announced the immediate closure of the border with the anarchic country, and the Government’s intention to screen all refugees in the country to weed out sleeper elements and sympathisers.

It listed seven major incidents of "provocations" by Al-Shabaab, including the brazen attacks on Dadajabula Police Post in 2009, raid on Liboi General Service Unit Camp last year, and the laying of mines and improvised explosive devices against Kenya police and military in Mandera last July.

Others are the numerous kidnappings and hijackings within Kenya’s borders, including two Catholic nuns in Elwak in 2009, two military soldiers last July, and the recent seizure of British, French and Spanish nationals in Lamu and Dadaab.

Last month, there were several Al-Shabaab attacks along the Kenya-Somalia border, besides the continued recruitment of Kenyan youth to the terror group’s ranks.

The UN Charter Article 51 that Kenya invoked yesterday allows a country to defend itself from external aggression, as well as to prevent attacks.

The international law is the same one that the United States resorted to in the killing of al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden. The US responded firmly against Afghanistan after it established that the perpetrators of the September 11, 2001, attacks were all members of the al Qaeda terrorist organisation, known to operate in Afghanistan.

Israel also cited the international law governing self-defence to justify its attack on Gaza in 2009.

Kenya’s new Constitution, which Saitoti and Haji referred to yesterday, states that the Defence Forces are responsible for the defence and protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic.

The two ministers said Kenya would use the military and other security forces to deal with "provocations" by Al-Shabaab, and other militants.

They said the Government believed the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab movement and its affiliates were behind the incidents on Kenyan soil, including the kidnapping of two Medecins Sans Frontiers aid workers from Dadaab on Thursday.

Hot pursuit

"We are now going to pursue the enemy, who are the Al-Shabaab, to wherever they would be, even in their country," said a tough-talking Saitoti.

Military and police officers are pursuing the gunmen holding the Spanish aid workers.

Al-Shabaab controls large swathes of southern and central Somalia, including areas close to the border with Kenya.

The Kenya Army in recent months has been involved in fending off Al-Shabaab at the border with clashes in Elwak and Dhobley.

Yesterday, Haji said: "We are going to hunt them down in Somalia. Our country is under attack and the measures we have decided to take are aimed at protecting and preserving the integrity of the country, national economy, and security."

The latest abduction of Westerners on Kenyan soil by attackers linked to Al-Shabaab is the third in a month.

Aid workers have been targets of abductions by Somalia gunmen for ransom payouts, but attacks in Kenya have been relatively rare.

Drone attacks

The launch of US drone attacks in June and aggressive military assaults by African Union Mission in Somalia troops drove the Al-Shabaab out of Mogadishu. This is thought to have prompted the rebels to resort to desperate measures, including suicide bombings in the war-scarred Somalia capital and lately clashes with Kenyan forces at border.

Haji confirmed that the military pursuing the kidnappers had come across the Spanish aid workers’ vehicle abandoned between Dadaab and the Somalia frontier.

"This means the gunmen and their victims are now on foot. The military will catch up with them," he said. But Haji cautioned aid workers against venturing outside of the camp without police security.

"They have been reluctant to enhance security in the camp, and when they go out they do not seek security saying they are restricted from carrying security personnel in their vehicles," said the minister.

Saitoti said the Government would carry out further screening of refugees at the Dadaab camp.

"We will embark on thorough screening of those in the camps to weed out Al-Shabaab sympathisers," he said.

Kenyan authorities have on several occasions expressed fears that Islamist extremists would infiltrate the world’s largest refugee camp, as the border is about 100km away.

He appealed to the international community to work on securing Somalia so that the refugees could be assisted to return home.

The Government statement comes at a time the United Nations has temporarily suspended all non-lifesaving aid operations in Dadaab.

Hundreds of aid workers have reportedly been confined to their offices, forcing the cancellation of services like education, counselling, and the relocation of families.

Aid agency, Medecins Sans Frontiers, says it is also pulling its entire foreign staff from the world’s largest refugee camp.