Garissa County security and intelligence committee has indefinitely closed down Quba Islamic Centre following leadership wrangles that has since escalated to clan conflicts leaving several people injured.

The closer of the centre, thy committee observed, was necessary to avoid situation where Somali militant group, al Shabaab, would exploit the resultant loopholes to infiltrate the factions. Garissa is a frontier town on Kenya-Somalia border and has in the past been attacked the militants.

Quba Islamic Centre, which sits on an approximately 250 acres of land on the outskirts of Garissa Town near Modika, has been facing leadership disagreements since April this year, with reconciliation efforts by the local leaders and security officials failing to resolve the dispute.

The conflicting teams, one consisting of the elder generation, who were mainly the founders and the other consisting of middle-aged members have been holding unwavering opinions, stalling any reconciliation efforts so far.

While announcing the closure after leading his security team to the centre, Garissa County Commissioner, Mohamed Mwabudzo, said that the decision had been reached in consultation with his security team, local political leaders and the leadership of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) Garissa branch.

“We have closed down this place until we get a solution to the issues arising. We will take whatever time to find solutions, but the two groups must vacate this place today,” Mwabudzo declared.

“We did not make this decision lightly since this is a place of worship. It is a place to find comfort before God and find peace but we must shut it down because of the fear that this conflict has caused the whole county of Garissa,’’ he added.

Garissa branch SUPKEM chairperson, Sheikh Abdullahi Salat, said that it was shameful that religious people who were supposed to bring people together were now dividing them. Sheikh Salat reiterated that SUPKEM was fully supporting the government’s move to shut the place down and called for the arrest of all those fuelling the conflicts.

“When you leaders start fighting, the government must step in. I have spoken to both teams and I have told them this is a place of worship and peace must prevail. As SUPKEM, we have been in the forefront of defending Islamic institutions against government interference but now you are the ones inviting the government in,” Hassan said.

“We will not allow Muslims to fight each other here. Some people have already been injured and we cannot watch you fight because it is our responsibility to make sure that there is peace here and allow the people who want to pray to have modest time,” he added.

Salat further noted that the Quba Islamic Centre was not personal property but a place for all Muslims from all parts of the country.

“If you want to fight, you will vacate this place and fight in other places. The government will take over here and ensure there is peace but if you want to reconcile, we will ask the government to stay away so that you solve your issues,” he said.

A few of the members we spoke to distanced themselves from the leadership conflict, noting that they supported the government’s move to shut down the place.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Erick Kyalo