Kenya and War on Terror

On Thursday 14^th June, I was taking brunch at Rayan, a Somali owned restaurant, behind I&M building on Kenyatta Avenue, at the invitation of my friend who wanted a discussion revolving around youth participation in peace processes. I have known Eddy Gicheru Oketch, who invited me to the restaurant, for three solid years. He is a sophomore Studying Mathematics and Economics at     Trinity Hartford University and is the founder of Peace for Africa and Economic Development (PAD). He is a patriotic Kenyan.

During last month G8 summit at Camp David, Eddy made a moving presentation on the need for making the global challenge of food security and nutrition visible in local communities in Africa. It was against this backdrop that Eddy sought my opinion on holding National Youth Peace and Entrepreneurship Convention in August at a Nakuru Hotel. Last year we held a youth peace conference at Nuru Palace Hotel in Nakuru on the theme:Tapping into youth talents and converting youth economic potential into income-generating community projects for peace in Kenya. I may not fail to add that a lot of resources have been poured in the country purposely for 'youth empowerment' projects –if you leave alone 'peace initiatives' which are never in resonance with National Policy on Peace Building and Conflict Mitigation. Most of the youth empowerment and peace initiatives are either flambouyant fanfare road-shows or armchair  activism (slactivism) in five-star hotels, with hardly any young person present. The particular conference Eddy and I were discussing seeks to link special youth projects (some inform of prototypes) with potential financiers locally and internationally.

 

 Eddy  Addressing G8 summit at Camp David

After sitting in the restaurant for one hour, our meeting was drawing to a close when we were joined by John Nene Jaoko who had worked with Eddy in Migori County on a similar project, Mwalimu Dida, who until last month was a teacher at Lenana School. Mwalimu Dida is a Kenyan of Borana extract and has taught English for over 15 years in Dadaab Secondary School, Wajir, Nairobi School, and Lenana School. Mr Dida is a teacher of English and lives in Parklands adjacent to MP Shah Hospital. The good teacher is a lightly bearded Muslim, regularly in a white Kanzu and a grey overcoat. He has a cute sense of humour and most of the talk turned into bouts of laughter when he joined us. My grandfather told me that good people (like Liverpool FC slogan) never walk a lone. Teacher Dida was accompanied by one Mr. Hashim a police officer, also of Borana origin. The officer was in a beige Kanzu. He too is a jolly fellow who couldn’t mind grinning gleefully whenever Teacher Dida unleashed a rib-cracker kind of statement. It was a pretty jolly moment.

Just as the meeting was terminating, Mr. Dida wondered if I knew anybody who could occupy front office position at his offices on second floor of Gilfilan House, upon which I dialed someone around town. Luckily the person I called was around Kenyatta Avenue doing some shopping for her mom and decided to come right away. That day I was some kind of one-stop info-shop. As the group left for Teacher Dida’s office I went to finish up some pending work in the office where I work, two blocks away.

Hardly hard I reached the office when my cell phone rung and Eddy was on the other side saying they were being arrested by detectives for security purposes; that they kind of came across as Al-shabaab agents. Upon identification and little harassment they were set free. When Eddy called he was in a serious panic mode, the same way you could behave as a child when your irate father caught you tinkering with his gramophone.

Al-Shabaab Terrorists in Somalia

Reflecting upon it, many thoughts crossed my mind. Was it the setting of the meeting (a Somali owned restaurant) or the presence of two Kenyans of Muslim faith? What informed the impulse to arrest and harass Eddy and the team? Was it the previous bombing of Assanand Building or the chopper crash that drove our security personnel paranoid? Isn’t it desirable that two Kenyan Moslems and three Kenyan Christians have mirthful discussion at a Nairobi hotel? How would five potential terrorists gather at Rayan Restaurant, talk loudly and depart together, even if they are suffering from acute idiocy? Oh! Sorry, I left out one factor, both Eddy and I had laptops.

 

 Rescue team helping a victim of Assanand House Bombing  in Nairobi

 Is that how as a country we handle war on terror? For starters, I am one Kenyan who holds that not a single potential terrorist deserves freedom to roam around crowded Nairobi CBD, don't mention a day in court. Not after the August 7 Nairobi bombing. Not with Al-Qaeda merging with Al-shabaab next door! Not when many unemployed youth, brainwashed with some bigoted religious doctrines, are conveyed to Somalia for training only to come back and unleash terror within our borders. Not when our beloved KDF are triumphantly entering Kismayu for the ultimate annihilation of those hoodlums.

 Now, that brings us to interrogate our national preparedness to handle war on terror and whether we have necessary structural instruments to mete out timely interventions aimed at preventing occurrence of terror within our borders. A part from the contested Anti-Terror Bill, there is the special Anti-Terror elite police unit, just like anti-stock theft and anti-riot police units. Does this unit have the requisite training, other than suspicion, to identify, pre-empt, and avert activities of a potential terrorist? 

 

 Members of secessionist group -Mombasa Republican Council (MRC)

The reasons why war on terror is a complex situation in Kenya are manifold. First, there is a failed state next door largely occupied by rat tag terrorist gangs with many sympathizers within our borders. These sympathizers are the second reason we find it difficult to enact and fully implement a comprehensive Anti-Terror Bill. They may harbour and offer material support to Al-shabaab. Secondly, we have too many homeland security issues with some malcontents calling for secession and proclaiming in broad day light that 'Pwani Si Kenya' (Coast is not Kenya). The MRC may get armed support from Al-shabbab and establish a standing military wing. From what I see and hear in the mainstream and online media, almost all MRC supporters are Muslims.  We can’t afford to have such malcontents operating within our borders. I know that majority of Muslims in Kenya are disappointed by actions of MRC and Al-Shabaab sympathizers. When a bomb is detonated it kills indiscriminately.

 KDF in Somalia

 Third, in the recent past there has been a high influx of Somalis (from Somalia) in the Nairobi and other parts of the country -partly because of the refugee policy loopholes, and partly as a result of our highly porous borders. The Muslim population in Kenya is growing, not because many people are converted but the reason that many illegal immigrants are receiving standing ovation welcome from corrupt immigration officials. Why are they taking too long to release the North Eastern province Census report? Why can’t we do what US is doing with illegal immigrants from Mexico? Crossing the US-Mexican border is harder than passing through the eye of the needle. We care too much about foreigners. Aren’t we Xenophiles? I should add that Narcotics smuggling is a major contributing factor in US-Mexico immigration dynamics. Isn’t terror not enough impetus to make Kenya-Somalia border as impenetrable as a steel gate? The Ethiopians have citizens’ vigilance policy where Ethiopia-Somalia border is concerned. Unlike Kenyans, Ethiopian citizens report foreigners to authorities.

The other reason is that our army crossed into Somalia after we went through insufferable provocations but the Al-shaabab and their sympathizers aren’t amused. They will do anything within their erratic powers to undermine the public support KDF is receiving from Kenyans. When we watch our physical infrastructure breached by terrorists the effeminate public begins to doubt the rationale of taking war to Al-Shabaab doorsteps and that is what they want to achieve.

Gallant KDF soldiers in Afmadow 

The very fundamental reason, at least according to me, is that we are headed for general elections and there is always a political need to please all in vote hunting sprees. In this perspective, the work of policy implementers and law enforcers will be greatly impeded. At the same time, those who want to scuttle reform processes will enlist the support of terror groups to cause monumental mayhem as was witnessed in 2004/2008 post-election violence. Terrorists’ will have a span of experimental field days in our country. Some of them will occur under the auspices of law enforcing agencies like was alleged in Naivasha and Nakuru during PEV. Let us sober up as a nation and verify whether our parochial political interest supersede national stability. Or whether our tribal bigotry overshadows sense of nationhood, Tunajivunia Kuwa wa Kenya (proudly Kenyan).

            There is still the matter of financing the war in Somalis. We are glad that the Amisom mandate upgraded from 'Peace Keeping' to 'Peace Enforcing', which means Amisom may now police Somalia. Before KDF went to Somalia, we guess, the government estimated the total financial cost of successful completion of the war, and went far not only to identify sources but also acquire the so much needed resources. That must have included the necessary resources from international community for the reconstruction process after extermination of Al-Shabaab. 

        In my opinion, Operation Linda Inchi is a kin to Operation Desert Storm, and may be similar in reconstruction failures if necessary policy measures are not put in place. It is not a trifle like the Operation Okoa Maisha by KDF on Mt Elgon, which saw the extermination of Wycliffe Matakwei's (SLDF) -Sabaot Land Defense Forces. It was also imperative to include the aspects of state of Kenya’s economy and its dynamics before going to war. We cannot wage a successful war when our industries are grinding to a halt as a result of sky-rocketing fuel prices. The Germans know this better through the World War I and II experiences. The taxpayer must be able to meet his daily needs and still finance a worthy war.

US drone warplane

            From my reading, I am informed that unmanned drone technology has made the war on terror much easier since we can now 'hit focused targets' with less collateral damage, as President Obama puts it. How many drone planes (manned or unmanned) does Kenya have? I would want to believe that war on terror is an internationally concerted effort and a horde of US Drones are gathering crucial data in East African (especially Somalia) airspace. The collected and collated information will facilitate the Amisom operations towards comprehensive defeat of Al-shabaab.

          To sum it up, I plead with the Kenya Government to invest in the training of Anti-Terror Police Unit in order to have the required expertise to tackle internal mechanisms of terror. And for a personal reason, so that my friend Eddy Oketch  who works for peace is never embarrassed again.

Shem Sam