Waikenda: We must not give in to fear in this fight against terror

By Machel Waikenda           

American linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky once said, “Everyone is worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there is really an easy way: Stop participating in it.”

Kenya is in a panicked state following numerous terror attacks and deteriorating security in the country. We are where the world was after the 9/11 attacks in America and the 1998 bombing in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

Fear is palpable, especially after last year’s siege of Westgate Mall that left 67 innocent Kenyans dead. The face of terror has changed over the years, from attacks targeting AP camps in northern Kenya to “soft targets” such as Public Service Vehicles as witnessed recently on Thika Road. We are no longer at ease as a country and the security operations mounted in the country are not helping.

Kenyans are forced to confront the nightmare that even their own homes are no longer abodes of safety. A cornered and battered Al Shabaab has changed tack and started recruiting wider from among impressionable youth and radicalised elements. But the message from Kenyans has been one of an unbowed people. It is time to fight back to reclaim our way of life from terrorists who have perfected the art of hit-and-run with cowardly attacks calculated to instill fear in the hearts of Kenyans.

And this fear is not only a result of terror activities but also general crime, which appears to be on the increase especially in urban areas. Recently, Nairobi County police reported that in Kileleshwa and Lavington area alone there is an average of five break-ins into residential houses every day. And in various city estates, muggers, petty theft and carjacking’s continue to be a thorn in the flesh.

As a result, one would be forgiven for thinking Kenyans have bought into a siege mentality. This is visible from the enhanced security checks including at matatu terminuses, churches, shopping malls, hotels, airports and even residential areas.

Police are also implementing a law criminalising tinting of car windows; a strict vetting of aliens across the country; increased police recruitment to make up for the numbers recommended by the United Nations; and the Nyumba Kumi initiative that seeks to entrench the neighborhood watch through eternal vigilance.

The Government realised  that there can never be enough policemen to sort out local insecurity, unless the general public became involved. Citizens, therefore, must ensure they work with the security apparatus to help it identify threats and suspicious elements in their midst. The security forces are doing a commendable job but that should serve as a wake-up call to all Kenyans to support them and especially police reforms.

When Operation Linda Nchi and Operation Usalama Watch commenced, it was clear police officers were poorly equipped, ill-motivated, uninsured and coming from an unsavory past in the eyes of the public.

It was necessary that Government increases funding for security operations, as what has been allocated was clearly insufficient. It is only last year that the largest allocation was made to this critical sector when Government set aside Sh4 billion for procurement of modern security equipment each year for the next five years. 

Other efforts to reduce insecurity have seen an ongoing digitisation of records and a proposed re-registration of everyone living within the borders of the republic. That this has caused an uproar with accusations of ethnic profiling, religious persecution, allegations of torture and stoking xenophobia is the price the general public has had to pay to banish the fear of being attacked or robbed.

We need to be aware that only rights listed under Article 25 of the Constitution are absolute. All the rest may be limited depending on the circumstances; that is why we have Article 24 of the Constitution. All rights are not absolute in the war against terror.

The writer is a political analyst and communications consultant