Nkaissery: Mandera woman was Al-shabaab cook
By AGGREY MUTAMBO
Interior Secretary Joseph Nkaissery now says the woman who was found buried in a shallow grave in Mandera was a cook for the Al-Shabaab terror outfit in Bula-hawa, Somalia.
Mr Nkaissery says the woman, identified as Ms Isnina Musa Sheikh, fled to Kenya when the Al-Shabaab camp was overrun by the Kenya Defence Forces and started selling tea in Mandera.
“The little information we have is that… Isnina Musa Sheikh… she is alleged to have been a cook for Al-Shabaab in Bulahawa and when Al-Shabaab was overrun or were rooted out of Bulahawa, she came to Kenya, she ran to Mandera and she started working in a kiosk selling tea,” Nkaissery said at a press conference at Harambee House.
“That is the much we know about her. She is a sympathiser or a member of Al-Shabaab so we don’t know what happened to her. She could have been killed by Al-Shabaab… but investigation is going on.”
Ms Sheikh was the owner of a tea kiosk in Mandera. Her body was found by herders on Sunday.
According to police records, Mr Mohammed Abdulahi, reported on December 4 that his sister had been arrested the previous day at a place called Arabia stage at around 1pm by unknown people.
DEMAND APOLOGY
On Sunday, herders stumbled on her body at Lathe, 45km from Mandera town. Some 12 bodies were reportedly exhumed on Monday in the same area and, at the time, authorities said they suspected there would be more graves.
Inspector of Police Joseph Boinnet said no bodies were found on Tuesday as alleged. Mr Nkaissery demanded an apology from Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow and other leaders on mass grave claims.
Mr Nkaissery further fingered KTN investigative journalist Mohamed Ali as the one who “permanently” portrays national security agencies negatively. The CS said “consequences are grave” for those who will not retract mass grave claims.
On Thursday, Mr Nkaissery trashed a report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) on mass graves in Wajir. He said, “(it’s) not true and KNCHR should correct the claims.”