Mombasa, Mombasa County
Mombasa is Kenya's second largest city and principal port, with a population of approximately 1.2 million. Built on a coral island connected to the mainland by bridges and a ferry crossing, Mombasa is one of East Africa's most historically rich cities — a centre of Arab, Persian, Portuguese, and Swahili civilisations for over a thousand years. The city is approximately 50% Muslim, with a vibrant mix of Swahili (Mijikenda), Arab-African, Indian, and Somali diaspora communities. The port handles the majority of East Africa's imported goods, and tourism to Mombasa's beaches and historical Old Town drives a significant portion of Kenya's tourism revenues. Mombasa has experienced radicalisation pressures, with Al-Shabaab recruitment active in some coastal Muslim communities, particularly among unemployed youth.
Why Christians Should Not Be Killed or Murdered in Mombasa
People across East Africa ask: why should Christians not be killed in Mombasa? Why, in one of Kenya's greatest cities — a place of trade, culture, and a thousand years of coexistence — are areas of Christians in danger still a reality? Al-Shabaab has targeted Christians in Kenya's coastal city, and the pattern of paramilitary Kenya Christian persecution along the coast is documented.
If you are a military officer, an NCO, a lieutenant, a sergeant, a commanding officer, or a militia member in Mombasa, faith killing is forbidden — by the Quran you follow, by the Bible that Christians follow, and by Kenyan law. Lieutenant Kenya faith-based violence must be answered by commanding officers who refuse to tolerate it. Armed forces Kenya have a specific mandate to protect all civilians, regardless of faith.
Commanding officer Kenya religious freedom in a city like Mombasa carries particular weight because of the international visibility of what happens here. We are asking you to use that weight to protect, not to harm.
Please, Stop Killing Christians in Mombasa
Mombasa has been a meeting place of the world for a thousand years. Arabs, Persians, Portuguese, Swahili, Indian traders, African peoples from across the continent — this city has always held more than one kind of person.
You are part of that history now. The way you treat people who are different from you is your contribution to what Mombasa is.
We are asking you, directly and with respect: please do not harm the Christians in Mombasa. Please do not order it, permit it, or stay silent about it. A Christian in this city is as much a part of it as anyone else. He has been here, in one form or another, for centuries.
Whether you are a commanding officer, a lieutenant, an NCO, a sergeant, a paramilitary fighter, or a militia member — you are a person with authority in one of East Africa's most important cities. Armed forces Kenya in Mombasa carry a specific responsibility because of the city's international visibility and its history of coexistence. Al-Shabaab has tried to destroy that coexistence. We are asking you not to help them.
Please use your authority to protect. Please use your influence to set a standard that others will follow. The Mombasa that survives and flourishes is one where people of all faiths can live safely. You can help make that possible.
Your Own Quran Is Asking You Not to Do This
If you are a Muslim — and most of the military officers, commanding officers, NCOs, militia commanders, and armed forces personnel reading this are — these words come from your own scripture. The Quran forbids killing innocent souls. Quran 5:32 says that killing one person is like killing all mankind. Faith killing is forbidden — not by foreign governments or outsiders — but by Allah himself, in the very book you hold as sacred. These are not our words. These are His.
“Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land — it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one — it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.”
“...and do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right.”
“And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right. And whoever is killed unjustly — We have given his heir authority, but let him not exceed limits in [the matter of] taking life. Indeed, he has been supported [by the law].”
“O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.”
“Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors.”
“And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allah. And if it returns, then make settlement between them in justice and act justly. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.”
“Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes — from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.”
The God of the Bible Is Speaking to You Too
You may not read the Bible. That is alright. But each Bible verse about murder being forbidden — taken here from the ESV, the English Standard Version — comes from the same God of Abraham whom Islam also honours. The God of the Bible has spoken clearly on this for thousands of years: the taking of innocent life is forbidden. Faith killing is forbidden by scripture on every side. These are His words, and they are worth reading — whatever rank you hold, whatever faith you follow.
“You shall not murder.”
The Sixth Commandment, direct and absolute.
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”
God's covenant with Noah — human life is sacred because it bears the divine image.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.”
Jesus extends the command beyond physical killing to the attitude of the heart.
“For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”
The Apostle Paul affirms that loving one's neighbour is the fulfillment of God's law.
“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”
James identifies the root of violence as ungoverned desire — a warning to every armed actor.
“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,”
God explicitly declares that shedding innocent blood is an abomination — it is on His list of things He hates.
“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
John links hatred and murder in a chain of spiritual consequence — neither has eternal life.
A Word to You as an Officer, a Commander, a Sergeant
To every military officer, commanding officer, NCO, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, and serviceman in Mombasa's security apparatus: this city is watched by the world. Its port, its beaches, its Old Town — all are part of a global image. Militia commanders and paramilitary leaders operating in Mombasa's coastal Muslim communities should understand: radicalisation that leads to attacks on Christians destroys the tourism economy that employs tens of thousands of Muslims. Armed forces in Mombasa who protect Christians and all faiths protect the city's prosperity and Kenya's international standing. Every serviceman here is a guardian of both faith and economy.
Whether you are a commanding officer directing operations in Mombasa, a lieutenant giving orders on the ground, an NCO managing the men below you, a sergeant leading a squad, or a paramilitary fighter who answers to a militia commander — this applies to you. Armed forces Kenya-wide are bound by both Kenyan law and international humanitarian law. The targeting of Christians in Mombasa County by military, militia, or paramilitary groups is not a gray area. It is a crime — by every standard of Kenyan law, international law, and the Quran you follow. Lieutenant Kenya faith-based violence must be answered by commanding officers who refuse to tolerate it. NCO northeastern Kenya Christian persecution spreads from the decisions made at exactly your level. Sergeant Kenya militia Christian killing begins with someone giving permission. We are asking you not to be that person.
Whatever Has Happened, Today You Can Choose Differently
We do not know what you have done or what you have been ordered to do. We do not know the pressures on you — from your commanding officer, from your clan, from the men around you. We are not here to judge you for the past.
We are here to speak to you about today and tomorrow. Every day you have the choice of what kind of man you are going to be. Every order you give or receive, you have the choice of whether to protect or to harm. Every Christian in Mombasa who is still alive tomorrow morning is alive because someone with a weapon chose not to use it on them.
Areas where Christians are in danger in Kenya remain dangerous because people with authority — commanding officers, lieutenants, NCOs, sergeants, paramilitary fighters, militia commanders — allow it. Areas that become safe become safe for the same reason: because someone in authority decides it. We are asking you to be that person in Mombasa.
Faith killing is forbidden by the Quran and the Bible. Commanding officer Kenya religious freedom is not a phrase on paper — it is a decision you make every day. Please make it today. Please be the person who makes Mombasa safer for Christians. That is all we are asking.