This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 004409 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2025 
TAGS: PREL PTER ASEC EAID PGOV PINS KISL KE
SUBJECT: MOMBASA MUSLIMS SEE ORANGE 
 
REF: A. REF A) NAIROBI 04080 
     ¶B. REF B) NAIROBI 01699 
     ¶C. REF C) NAIROBI 02639 
     ¶D. REF D) NAIROBI 02409 
 
Classified By: Michael J. Fitzpatrick, reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  The vast majority of Muslims in Mombasa 
actively support the &Orange8 campaign for a "no" (or, 
"Orange") vote in November's referendum on the proposed new 
Kenyan constitution.  While most Muslim leaders rally around 
contentious issues such as devolution of power and Khadis 
courts, the underlying sentiment is that the government in 
Nairobi continues to marginalize the Coast, and Muslims in 
particular, and therefore are not deserving of a "yes" 
("Banana") vote for a constitution that serves to legitimize 
their hold on power. Mombasa youth groups are particularly 
active and well-versed in the debates and are pushing for a 
no-vote. One youth group leader also provided interesting 
insights on the terror threat in Kenya and the inability of 
the government to combat terrorism on the Coast.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (C)  Poloff and visiting INR analyst met with Muslim 
religious and community leaders in Mombasa September 27 to 29 
to discuss political and social issues affecting Mombasa 
Muslims. The Constitution dominated all conversations, with 
most using the debate as another forum to illustrate what 
they perceive as the central government,s deliberate 
marginalization of the Coast. 
 
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Imams Advocating Orange 
---------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C)  Muslim religious leaders in Mombasa are clearly in 
the Orange camp, even though most say they are not taking 
sides.  Mombasa District Chairman for the Supreme Council of 
Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM), Sheikh Juma Ngao, told Poloff he is 
not taking a stance publicly because he believes Imams should 
remain neutral. He then proceeded to give a laundry list of 
reasons why the Constitution is &20 percent poison8.  He 
listed the main contentious issues as land redistribution, 
devolution of presidential powers, Coast resources being put 
back in the hands of Coast residents, and the Khadis courts. 
(NOTE: Khadis courts are Islamic courts that, with consent of 
the parties, handle civil matters such as marriage, divorce 
and inheritance. They have been legal in Kenya since before 
independence. Criminal cases are still handled by public 
courts. END NOTE.) (COMMENT: The Khadis courts is a prime 
example of the failure of civic education in certain parts of 
the country.  While the draft new Constitution actually 
allows for Khadis courts -- with some potential new 
restrictions -- most Muslims on the Coast told Poloff they 
are outraged that the government wants to "outlaw" Khadis 
courts. This disconnect may stem from the initial debates 
preceding the final publication of the draft over whether or 
not to allow for Khadis courts, but apparently the accurate 
information has not reached many Coast Muslims.  END 
COMMENT). 
 
¶4.  (C)  Sheikh Ngao said that although the constitutional 
debate is causing some minor rifts in the Muslim community, 
he has no doubt that the Orange camp will win, as there are 
very few Banana (Yes camp) supporters on the Coast. Ngao said 
he will advise the government to postpone the referendum 
until the contentious issues are worked out.  (COMMENT:  Ngao 
alone does not have the political sway to influence the GOK 
on any referendum issues.  Even if he were to join with other 
Imams from the Coast, they alone do not hold enough clout to 
convince the GOK to slow down the process. END COMMENT). 
 
¶5.  (C)  Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) 
Secretary General, Sheikh Muhammad Dormuhammad, expressed 
 
SIPDIS 
many of the same concerns.  He went further, saying he fears 
&something bad8 will happen during the referendum, but 
continues to pray for peace.  He accused the government of 
buying votes and asserted that the elections will be rigged. 
He stated the Kikuyu (the President's up-country tribe) are 
the only ones who want this new constitution.  Despite all 
his complaints, Dormuhammad did not give one concrete example 
of a contentious issue or make any educated references to the 
draft.  He also asked why the U.S. Embassy is not taking a 
public stance on the referendum. (NOTE: Ironically, that same 
day Ambassador and 26 other diplomatic missions issued a 
press statement calling for a violence-free and fair 
referendum (ref A). END NOTE).  (COMMENT:  Many moderate 
Muslims tell Poloff that Dormuhammad is mostly a noisemaker, 
and some say he and the CIPK do not have much influence.  It 
is difficult to gauge just how extensive CIPK,s following 
is, but it was clear that Dormuhammad was more interested in 
criticizing the government and making noise publicly than 
actually reading the draft and putting forward constructive 
criticism. END COMMENT.) 
 
------------------------------ 
Youth Groups Taking Initiative 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (U) Mombasa youth group leaders were best versed on the 
draft constitution, and they were eager to discuss the issues 
at length with Poloff. The number one message that 
reverberated across the different groups was simple: &The 
Government does not do for us; so we do for ourselves.8 This 
is a message the youth, and even many older community leaders 
have put forward for sometime now, and the constitution is 
just one more example of this in their eyes.  Several  youth 
leaders were remarkably well-versed on the draft, displaying 
detailed knowledge of the different sections and how they 
differ from the current constitution.  Devolution of power 
was the overarching sticking point.  Surprisingly, despite 
having clearly read or at least learned about the points in 
the draft, youth leaders still complained about the Khadis 
courts as if the draft outlawed their use. Several 
articulate, intelligent group leaders said they will not 
waste their time voting, as they do not want to &vote for 
nothing.8 
 
¶7. (C) All the youth group leaders had ambitious plans to 
help fill in the gaps left by what they view as deliberate 
marginalization by the government in Nairobi.  Youth groups 
from Old Town, Likoni, Majengo and other parts of Mombasa all 
advocated for increased education opportunities.  In terms of 
the constitution, they all plan to take an active role in 
civic education, especially since they believe the government 
will fail to reach out to most Coast residents.  The number 
one complaint about education is that there is no university 
in Mombasa. (NOTE: Some investors from the Persian Gulf have 
drafted plans to build Mombasa Islamic University. END NOTE). 
 
 
¶8.  (U) The other main issue that dominates Mombasa youth 
leaders, current agenda is fighting illicit drug use. Old 
Town Social and Welfare Association (OSWA), a youth group 
based in Old Town Mombasa, is increasingly active in this 
fight. When Poloff first met the group in April, they were 
ambitious but did not yet have an office, a constitution or 
many members (ref B). The group has made substantial progress 
in six months. They now have an office in Old Town, a large 
membership base, and have actively participated in civic 
education campaigns and even cooperated with the police in a 
drug bust at the end of September.  OSWA and the other youth 
groups Poloff met with have basically cast aside the 
government and are doing what they can to make their 
communities safer from drugs and crime and provide education 
opportunities for youth of all ages. 
 
-------------------- 
And On Terrorism( 
-------------------- 
 
¶9.  (C) As is usually the case when speaking to USG 
officials, Muslim leaders took the opportunity to address 
terrorism issues as well.  Sheikh Dormuhammad spoke of the 
terror suspects who were released in June (Refs C and D), 
saying no evidence was presented linking them with the 2003 
twin attacks in Mombasa and nearby Kikambala.  He claimed no 
Kenyan Muslims would kill innocents and accused Arabs of 
being bad Muslims. Sheikh Ngao,s only comments were to 
advise the U.S. to stop preaching to Iran about nuclear 
weapons while allowing India, Pakistan and North Korea to 
continue building their arsenal. 
 
¶10.  (C) In a sidebar conversation, one OSWA leader, Rustam, 
spoke to INR analyst about the terrorist threat in Mombasa. 
While he regarded the al-Qaida operatives themselves as 
foreign "Arabs," Rustam indicated that youth in Mombasa are 
very vulnerable to recruitment by al-Qaida and that he 
believed recruitment is currently underway.  He linked 
recruitment to poverty and the overall marginalization of 
Mombasa youth.  He is convinced that at least two al-Qaida 
operatives are still in the coastal area, although he is not 
exactly sure where, claiming that they (NFI) recently lost 
track of them.  He claims he was near the Paradise Hotel 
during the Kikambala attack and that he works with the 
Anti-Terrorist Police Unit (ATPU) in Mombasa (he showed the 
business card of his contact in ATPU).  He was very critical 
of CT efforts by the government, who he accused of sending 
officers with little understanding of the coast who are 
easily identified by locals, cannot recruit sources, resent 
having to work in the coastal area and do not actually want 
to be active and involved in such dangerous work. ATPU needs 
to recruit people from the coast to work as officers in order 
to really penetrate the extremists.  He warned that the 
threat on the coast was very real and believed another attack 
would take place there. 
 
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BIO NOTES 
----------- 
 
¶11. (C) Sheikh Juma Ngao: Ngao is the Mombasa Chairman for 
Supkem.  He is in his early 30s.  He is articulate, 
intelligent and an excellent orator.  He is well versed in 
Islam and international politics. However, he is quite 
arrogant and feels he holds a more influential position than 
most believe he does. He clearly has political ambitions and 
as such, seeks opportunities to &advise8 the government on 
Coast and Muslim issues. He is very open to speaking with 
American officials and is both friendly and chatty. 
 
¶12.  (C) Sheikh Muhammad Dormuhammad (aka Sheikh Dor): 
Dormuhammad is the Secretary General of CIPK.  Although 
Dormuhammad would like to believe his group is the most 
influential in the Muslim community, many moderate Muslims 
downplay his following.  He claims to speak for all Coast 
Muslims.  He is a good public speaker, but he is not as well 
versed on actual issues of political significance as some of 
his colleagues.  He does not mince words and will openly tell 
American officials why Muslims do not like the American 
government.  Many locals do not consider him a true Imam, 
however, because he does not read Arabic well. 
BELLAMY