Kenya: Somalis hold anti al-Shabaab demo after Garissa University killings

Kenyan Somalis marched in Nairobi's suburb of Eastleigh on Wednesday 8 April condemning the killing of 148 people by gunmen at a campus in the eastern town of Garissa last week.

On 2 April, militants from the al-Qaeda-aligned group stormed Garissa University College, some 120 miles from the Somali border.

On Wednesday, hundreds of Eastleigh residents, a neighbourhood populated by Somalis of Kenyan descent, walked through the streets chanting anti al-Shabaab slogans and holding placards.

Ibrahim Ali, a resident of Nairobi, said people from different religions have lived in Kenya in harmony for many years and al-Shabaab should not use Islam to divide and or kill people.

"We Muslims are a peaceful and loving community who live in harmony with our Christian brothers. Al-Shabaab are evil," said Ali.

Demonstrators carried banners and signs denouncing al-Shabaab. One read: "Shame on you killers of innocent children."

The Kenyan government has said militants use Eastleigh as a planning base, taking advantage of Kenyans of Somali origin and residents are requesting closer cooperation with the authorities so that they can also be part of the solution.

"We want to have a cordial relationship with the government so that we can cooperate to stem this crime," said another resident, Ali Mohamed.

Six suspects appeared in court on 7 April in connection with the attack, the national prosecutor's office said.

Prosecutors said the chief magistrate granted police 30 days to complete investigations while the suspects remained in custody.

Al-Shabaab has killed more than 400 people on Kenyan soil in the last two years, including 67 during a siege at Nairobi's Westgate mall in 2013, piling political pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta that intensified with last week's killings.

Kenya has struggled to stop militants and weapons cross its 440-mile border with Somalia, and the violence has damaged the economy by scaring away tourists and investors.

On 6 April, the Kenyan air force launched air strikes against al-Shabaab targets in Somalia.