Thursday, December 11, 2014
Kenya’s parliament has begun debating tougher security laws after a series of attacks by Islamist militants in the country, raising opposition concerns that the bill will suppress human rights.
Proposals in the Security Laws (Amendment) Bill 2014 include extending the time authorities can hold suspected criminals beyond the current 24 hours, capping the number of refugees and asylum seekers in the country to 150,000 and establishing a national counter-terrorism center, according to a draft of the legislation distributed in parliament today.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta replaced his police chief and interior minister last week after gunmen from al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based arm of al-Qaeda, targeted non-Muslims in two attacks in the northeast of the country that left at least 64 people dead.
Those assaults were the latest in a string of al-Shabaab raids in Kenya, including on a shopping mall in the capital, Nairobi, last year that left at least 67 people dead, prompting warnings by foreign governments to avoid travel to parts of the country. Al-Shabaab has said the attacks are revenge for Kenya deploying troops in Somalia in 2011 to back government forces.
The opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy, led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has urged Kenyatta to develop an exit strategy for the troops from Somalia and overhaul the current security system.
East Africa’s largest economy currently hosts more than 600,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, mostly Somali nationals who have fled conflict and famine and are staying at the United Nations-run Dabaab camp in Kenya’s north.
Rushed Through
The proposals being “rushed through the national assembly are going to affect us all and the future of our beloved country in fundamental ways some of us may not imagine right now,” according to a statement e-mailed by CORD today. “The bill is a major assault on democracy and fundamental rights.”
Other proposals in the draft law include three-year jail terms for broadcasting information that undermines police investigations or security operations and imprisonment of at least 20 years for using a weapon or bomb for “purposes of terrorism.” Anyone illegally possessing an explosive device or weapon in a religious or public area or promoting a violent ideology can be jailed for as long as 30 years, while a person found responsible of glorifying or inciting a “terrorist” act could receive a maximum jail term of two decades.
A statement signed by the Clerk of the National Assembly James Mwangi published in the Nairobi-based Standard newspaper today, said the public had until Dec. 15 to submit comments on the proposed legislation and those views would be incorporated into a report to be presented to parliament.
Procedural Amendment
Lawmakers who support the bill are seeking a “procedural amendment” to pass the rules as quickly as possibly, Alois Lentoimaga, vice chairman of the legislative committee on national security, said in an interview yesterday. Legislation approved by lawmakers in Kenya requires presidential assent to be enacted.
“The executive proposed the amendments after the recent attacks,” Lentoimaga said. “They said the changes are necessary to enable security agencies in fighting terrorism, and that changing the security chiefs alone will not solve the problem. We agree.”