The 43 were arrested in 2014, in Kilifi, north of Mombasa, for stepping up the activities of the movement. A court in Mombasa released 43 men on Thursday who had been charged with being members of a group that seeks the independence of the Coast region from the hinterland. The MRC secretary general Randu Nzai said the release of the 43 had proven the group had been unfairly targeted by government. The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) accuses the government of decades of social and economic marginalisation of the Coast region, and wants it to secede and form its own government. In a government crackdown, the movement's top leaders and supporters were arrested and charged with offences including murder and being members of an outlawed group.

Source: The Star June 02, 2016 15:11 UTC