KENYA: War against Terror: Government closes down Financial Institutions Linked to Terrorism

In an effort to crack down terrorism in the country,
Government of Kenya has closed down financial institutions that are suspected
of financing terrorism in the country.

 

According to the Treasury Principal Secretary Kamau
Thugge who spoke to journalists, the government relied on an international list
of persons and institutions which support terrorism activities and that those
blacklisted are being interrogated by the investigative institutions.

 

The government has also suspended the licenses of 13
Forex Exchange Bureaux and money transfer service firms (hawalas) for the same
reasons. 

 

In a gazette notice, the government also ordered all
licensed banks and microfinance institutions to deny the organizations and
individuals financial services and to file transaction reports with the central
bank within 48 hours.

The list came in the wake of the massacre at the Garissa University College last week where 147 people were killed and over 170 others injured by ‘Al-Shabaab’ militants.

 

Meanwhile, the government on Wednesday announced that 128
out of 142 bodies of students killed in the Garissa University College attack
have been identified.

 

Defence Cabinet Secretary Raychell Omamo said the
identification had been done through a scientific finger print matching process
aided by data from the Civil Registration Department and involvement of 25
government pathologists.

 

“The process of identifying the remaining 14 bodies was
expected to be completed by the end of this week.