LAMU LEADERS GIVE U.S. EFFORTS MIXED REVIEWS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 001874

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/26/2026
TAGS: PINR PINS PREL PTER MASS MOPS KISL KPAO KE SO
SUBJECT: LAMU LEADERS GIVE U.S. EFFORTS MIXED REVIEWS

REF: A. REF A) 03 NAIROBI 03521

B. REF B) NAIROBI 0799

Classified By: PolCouns Michael J. Fitzpatrick, reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (U) SUMMARY: Poloffs addressed a Town Hall meeting of the
Lamu County Council, and responded to community,s concerns
about USG policies, military presence in Lamu and various
assistance programs. The tone of the meeting was cordial,
although several participants expressed resentment over
perceptions that Americans view Lamu residents as terrorists
and that American &marines8 were harassing people during
their coastal patrol exercises. Poloffs, answers to these
questions and concerns were well-received. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) The Lamu County Council, at the request of their
Chairman Omar Famau, hosted a consultative meeting between
Lamu leaders and Embassy officials on April 6. Two Poloffs
represented the Embassy in what proved to be a constructive
dialogue about U.S. relations with the region (just south of
the Somali border on Kenya,s Indian Ocean coast),views on
terrorism, military presence and assistance programs in Lamu.
The Council hosted a similar meeting in July 2003 to discuss
ongoing joint military exercises in the region and ask for
assurances that citizens would not be adversely affected (ref
A). This time around, three themes dominated: 1) Why is there
such a U.S. presence in Lamu?, 2) Why do Americans view Lamu
residents as terrorists?, and 3) Why do your &Marines8
harass our people?

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U.S. Assistance Praised
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3. (U) Omar Famau opened the meeting by thanking the &good
will team from the Embassy8 for our openness, noting that
&the lack of adequate information leads to misinformation,
which in turn results in suspicion, speculation and
mistrust8. He appealed to the Embassy to continue being
transparent with our programs and to keep the provincial
administration, local authorities and the general public
fully informed of our activities in the district. He thanked
the U.S. for the various civic development assistance
projects, saying the list of projects is long and the number
of beneficiaries continues to grow. He then asked us to
consider undertaking a larger project, the Kiunga-Mokowe
road. He said such a project would benefit the Lamu economy
greatly and open Kiunga Division to the rest of Kenya (ref B).


4. (U) The District Officer (DO),representing the District
Commissioner, commended the warm relations and peaceful
collaboration between the U.S. and Lamu. He said our
development projects have contributed to a good image for the
U.S. and have helped create a peaceful atmosphere. He
attributed Lamu,s security and stability in part to U.S.
assistance, telling the audience that security must be looked
at in the light of improving the standard of living through
reducing poverty, increasing education opportunities, etc.

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Why Lamu?
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5. (U) The question of why the U.S. shows so much interest
in Lamu was asked by several participants and with various
undertones. On the one hand, some asked for greater U.S.
assistance and more development projects. On the other hand,
some implied the U.S. has a hidden agenda and focuses too
much on Lamu. One participant gave a particularly insightful
speech about the history of the relationship between Lamu and
the U.S., asking if this relationship began because of the
Global War on Terrorism. He explained that when Somali
bandits raided Lamu villages in the early 1960s, the U.S. was
the only foreign country to assist many of the displaced
villagers. He continued that while Middle Eastern countries
provided arms to Somali bandits, the U.S. helped Muslim
communities in Lamu. He then asked why, if this friendship
dates back so far, is the U.S. now suspicious of certain Lamu
communities. He blamed it on &cooked-up propaganda8 (NFI)
and exploitation by some &bad people8 who take advantage of
poor communities to hide terrorists. He mused over why
Americans returned en masse to Lamu after 2001, saying it
appears to be part of a global campaign to hunt for
terrorists. But he ended his speech by assuring us, and the
other participants, that Lamu and the U.S. remain friends,
and any misunderstandings are a result of ignorance and must
be forgiven.

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We are not terrorists

NAIROBI 00001874 002 OF 003


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6. (U) Several other participants asked what the U.S., true
intentions are in Lamu. Although all were thankful for our
various development programs, many insisted that Americans
think of Lamu residents as &terrorists.8 Several made
accusations that we refuse Americans the right to travel to
Lamu because of this suspicion. Poloff assured the audience
that we have no official policy against traveling to Lamu and
clarified the travel warning issue. Most seemed satisfied
when Poloff explained the Embassy would not let her travel,
alone, repeatedly to Lamu if it was viewed as a dangerous or
threatening environment.


7. (C) The Councilor from Witu pleaded with us not to blame
his town for their mistakes. (NOTE: Mohamed Sadeek Odeh, who
was convicted in 2001 for his role in the 1998 U.S. Embassy
bombings, had lived in Witu before the attacks. END NOTE).
The Councilor said Americans no longer trust the people of
Witu because they married one of their &daughters8 to a
&bad guy8. He asked that we forgive his village for this
mistake and not ostracize them. (COMMENT: Witu lies along
the road from Mombasa to Manda Bay, where the U.S. Navy is
involved in maritime operations training. U.S. convoys have,
in the past, driven through the town regularly without
stopping. The frequency of these convoys has reduced since
CJTF-HOA began using the Manda Air Field. Civil Affairs teams
have yet to provide any projects for the village. Thus the
perception that the U.S. is purposely shunning Witu is
understandable. Poloff and the CA team visited Witu the day
before the town hall meeting and began engaging leaders and
looking into potential projects. END COMMENT).


8. (C) The most impassioned speech came from recently
released Kikambala terrorist suspect, and current Siyu
councilor, Mohamed Kubwa (junior). (NOTE: Kubwa was released
from prison on June 9, 2005 after being acquitted of charges
related to the November 2002 Kikambala attacks in Kenya. END
NOTE). He said he does not blame the U.S. Government for his
incarceration. Instead, he blamed the Kenyan Government, who
he accused of arresting him merely to prove to the U.S. they
were taking action following the Kikambala bombing. In fact,
he thanked us for CA projects in Lamu. He was particularly
thankful for the recently approved Siyu secondary school
project. (NOTE: Poloff traveled to Siyu with the CA team on
April 4 to visit with community leaders and announce the
school project. Kubwa was noticeably absent from the meeting
with elders and leaders. Poloff was told the organizers of
the meeting had purposely excluded him so as not to make us
uncomfortable. END NOTE). Kubwa continued by using proverbs
from Lao Tsu and others to emphasize the need for open
communication in order to solve problems. He praised the
town hall meeting as a step in this direction. He finished
by assuring us that Lamu is a safe district that was taken
advantage of by others (implying the Kikambala terrorists).
He repeated that he did not blame the U.S. but said the
Kenyan government handled the delicate situation incorrectly.

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Tensions Surround U.S. Military Presence
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9. (U) Issues surrounding the U.S. naval presence and
combined military operations along the Lamu coast continue to
cause considerable concern. Several participants accused
&Marines8 of harassing local fishermen and villagers while
patrolling the waters. While most said they were not opposed
to the training, they asked that our military forces take
into consideration the welfare of the local population. In
particular, they asked that boats use slower speeds when
approaching dhows and that Americans not search Muslim women.
Poloff explained that the boardings and searches are
actually carried out by the Kenyan Navy and assured the
audience that U.S. Navy personnel do not search Muslim women.
She told the participants that the U.S. takes these matters
very seriously and will continue to ensure that all U.S.
military personnel act within strict guidelines. The DO
further explained that it is the GOK,s responsibility to
guarantee the security of all citizens. He explained that the
&Marines8 provide technical assistance to the Kenyan Navy,
but Kenyans are the ones who come into actual contact with
the people. He said the U.S. has always followed proper
procedures and urged the people to launch any complaints
through the proper channels.

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COMMENT
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10. (C) The two hour meeting proved to be extremely

NAIROBI 00001874 003 OF 003


beneficial to all involved. The community leaders seemed
genuinely pleased with the opportunity to voice their
concerns, and they were receptive to explanations from
Poloffs. Most of the complaints were nothing new, especially
regarding the navy training and operations. However, hearing
directly from Embassy officials, instead of through the
County Council Chairman, seemed to put the leaders more at
ease. The fact that, despite all our engagement efforts,
many think we view Lamu residents as terrorists is
unfortunate. Ongoing engagement in Witu and Siyu in
particular, where terrorist suspects have hidden in the past,
will help build trust and demonstrate that we do not view
them as terrorists.
BELLAMY