Kenyans face up to ‘homegrown’ threat after hotel attack In previous al-Shabab attacks, the perpetrators were often Somali; in the Nairobi hotel siege, many were Kenyan.
The last five years has seen more than 20 attacks carried out by al-Shabab fighters that have left at least 300 people dead [Brian Inganga/AP Photo]
Nyeri, Kenya – As the early morning fog gave way to bright sunshine, residents of Majengo in the town of Nyeri in central Kenya, stepped gingerly out of their homes.
Most were quiet and appeared uneasy as groups of young students in uniform rushed to get to school.
The day before, the community found out that one of their own was involved in a deadly attack on an upscale hotel and office complex in the capital, Nairobi.
CCTV footage from the scene of the attack showed Salim Ali Gichunge to be one of the assailants.
The gunmen, members of the al-Qaeda-linked armed group al-Shabab, killed at least 21 people in the siege which lasted for 19 hours.
The residents in this sprawling informal settlement remain in shock, unable to make sense of how Gichunge took part in the killing of his own countrymen.
“Our children have no jobs. They need to eat. Most of them have dropped out of school and their parents are too poor to help them continue with education,” Ratib Hussein, a community leader, told Al Jazeera.
“The parents have no idea when and how the al-Shabab recruiters come for their children,” Hussein adds, standing a short distance from the house where Gichunge was born and spent his early years.
People are evacuated by a member of security forces during the al-Shabab attack in Nairobi [Baz Ratner/Reuters] |
In the last five years, al-Shabab fighters have carried out more than 20 attacks in Kenya that have left at least 300 people dead.
The last time the group carried out a major attack in Nairobi was 2013. Fighters from the group killed more than 60 people in a four-day siege at a shopping mall.
But this attack was different. At least three of the five gunmen seen in the CCTV footage were Kenyans. The suicide bomber was from the coastal city of Mombasa and another attacker came from Limuru.
The fighters who carried out the Westgate mall attack were from Somalia.
Domestic threat
Kenyans are now waking up to a different threat – one that they had not suspected existed until Tuesday’s attack. So-called “homegrown terrorism” has now emerged as a real threat in the East African country of 50 million people.
Shortly after the siege ended, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said the attackers were eliminated. It is not clear how many attackers were killed. Some media reports said Gichunge was captured and is being held in police custody.
Gichunge, also known as Farouk, moved from Nyeri to Isiolo during his teenage years, according to his family. He then moved to Mombasa before moving to Somalia and joining the armed group about three years ago, according to residents.
In every major city in Kenya, there are large informal settlements where most are struggling to put food on the table.
High unemployment is common in Majengo, especially among young people, making the slum a fertile ground for recruiters offering money and other incentives.
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