Terrorism crackdown in Kenya following the Garissa attack led to Closure of Somali money transfer (Hawalas) business in Kenya.
Closure of Hawalas was believed to help in cutting out terror funding in Kenya, a move which has however not been well received by the Somali government and a section of international bodies.
Somali Prime Minister Omar Ali Sharmarke has asked Kenya to review its decision on closing of these Hawala’s and instead suggested for the training of genuine business men of good financial amid intensifies war against terrorism in Kenya.
Omar’s visit to Kenya during the discussion over a pact signed in 2013 on repatriation of refugees welcomed the opportunity for him to hold talks with Deputy President William Ruto.
War against terrorism is now a vice being fought against by all economic sectors in Kenya. Ruto has indicated that Kenya’s Central bank is exploring on possibilities of introducing Hawalas into financial regulatory systems.
So far, Kenya has frozen 13 financial institutions which are suspected to be funding terrorism in Kenya as part of the measures taken in Kenya’s counter-terrorism operation.
Intelligence teams in Kenya have indicated that regulating these informal money transfer systems popular with the Somali community will cut down on financing terrorism in Kenya.
Terrorism cannot be conducted without money, weapons and militia members, say intelligence experts. Therefore, controlling these three key factors will help in fighting terrorism in Kenya since terrorism is not defeated through military means alone.
The closure and freezing of these institutions came after the Garissa attack which killed 148 people.
