The aftermath of Bondi Beach attack

Floral tributes and a note are laid for victims on a small bridge where gunmen had stood during a mass shooting in Bondi Beach, in Sydney on December 21, 2025. (DAVID GRAY / AFP)

Last week, we focused on Australia’s social media ban for users under 16.

We are back to Down Under for a more serious reason: a terror attack at Bondi Beach near Sydney. 

Kenyans dream of visiting the beaches along the Indian Ocean, more so around this festive season.

We often forget that there are beautiful beaches along Lake Victoria, offering stunning sunsets. Just take a ferry from Luada K’Otieno beach to Mbita at sunset! 

At the time of last week’s terror attack, Bondi Beach was full; it’s summer in Australia. We love beaches for their peace and serenity.

You are at peace with yourself and nature. Beaches and oceans make us feel small, overwhelmed and helpless. 

Think of someone shooting at sunbathers on the beach. That added to the trauma. But that is what terrorists sadly love. 

I was in a classroom when news started filtering of an explosion in downtown Nairobi in1998. Remember Westgate? I was in America’s Deep South when the Twin Towers in New York were hit.

I can easily empathise with Aussies. My empathy is deeper than Bondi’s.  

Australia, the only country that is also a continent, should be much closer to us. Aussies have been in Kenya since 1886.

Their most famous import is the eucalyptus tree or blue gum. Their presence and that of Boers or Afrikaners and other nationalities were drowned by Britons, more numerous and held the levers of power. I know of some Australian families with deep historical ties to Kenya. The White Family farmed in Ol Ngarua, Laikipia. Heard of Durumo? It should have been Ndururumo for waterfall. 

One of their patriarchs is buried at the Rumuruti cemetery. Check for a tombstone of Harold Duckett White (died 1952). They also farmed at Lesirko in Ol Kalou.  Have you heard of the “Ha Menja” matatu stage between Ol Kalou and Ol Joro orok on your way to Nyahururu? 

A small shop there is inscribed “Major X” in reference to Major Harold White, from Australia.

More curiously, is that two former Australian ambassadors to Kenya, Geoffrey White and Alison Chatres, had Kenyan connections through their parents, who lived and worked in Kenya.  

Back to Bondi. The terror attack, curiously perpetrated by father and son, shocked the nation and could change the country forever, just like September 11, 2001, changed the US. Bondi Beach will not just change Australia, but also other countries.  We shall feel it here at home. 

September 11 revived nationalism. Citizens started feeling a sense of identity: us versus them. Such nationalism is good for national cohesion, and politicians love it. But not when it’s forced by terrorism.  

One rallying cry I heard after September 11 was that terrorists want to “change our way of life.”  For countries that have been nations for centuries, that carries a lot of weight.

Such countries become more conservative to “defend and preserve” their way of life. That easily breeds extreme parties; Europe has been a victim of such parties. It, however, seems they mellow once in power, as the Italian case has shown.  

Two, there will be a sharp focus on immigrants who can be admitted to each country. Expect more scrutiny in visa applications.

Expect more focus on immigrants wherever they live. Laws could be changed to make it harder to become citizens or engage in economic or political activities. Expect changes in welfare systems, too. Immigration has been a hot political issue in Europe and the US. In Australia, the government is buying back guns and be sure more changes will follow. There is a proposal to have only citizens own guns. 

Three, closer to home, immigrating to other countries has long been cherished for prestige and economic reasons.

Even our government has been looped in. Remittances from abroad have been the leading foreign exchange earner. That could reduce as nations tighten their borders. Will Kenya become the “premium route” if our neighbours face restrictions in migrating to some countries, like the US? We once could visit the UK without visas. What happened? 

Four, could the backlash against immigrants make political leaders focus more on improving the living standards of their citizens, who have nowhere to go?

Will the death of remittances lead to social instability since lots of that money goes to consumption: food, education or health- necessities? 

Some fear that, with nowhere to go and resulting social instability, political leaders could be tempted to become more authoritarian.

The sudden reduction in foreign aid, and possible economic hardships and anger, could be good excuses for authoritarianism. 

Five, many Kenyans shifted to Australia to study and possibly live there after September 11, which made it harder to get in, more so after students’ involvement in terrorism. Will Bondi have a similar effect? Which countries will “benefit?” 

Already, more Eastern European countries are making overtures to Kenyan students, including Hungary, Georgia, and Türkiye. 

Six, the resulting deeper scrutiny in visa applications would affect air travel, education, trade and investment.

Immigrants tend to be more motivated to start and run businesses than the “natives.” Look no further than your village. The global GDP growth could feel the chill. Will travelling abroad become more prestigious with such restrictions? Where do we go from here?  

Terrorism seems to come from deeply ingrained feelings of injustice. It can be accentuated by indoctrination, more so when flavoured with religious overtones. The widespread use of social media makes indoctrination easier. Add fake news and misuse of artificial intelligence (AI). The failure to address socioeconomic issues breeds terrorism. Add failed nations. Governments should go beyond tighter national security and surveillance. We need to understand the motivations behind terrorism, their belief system. And their long game. 

It leaves my head spinning. Terrorism has left fear hanging over countries. Yet we all thought that with the Cold War over and technology on the rise, humanity would enjoy its golden age: plenty of free time, enslavement by technology and peace and harmony.   

It seems that despite advances in technology, we remain human with our prejudices, jealousy, envy and revenge.

Terrorism brings the worst in us. Good people should stop it. I hope to visit Australia one day and walk on Bondi Beach and maybe import the Australian devil, just like the eucalyptus tree. 

Happy holidays to my fellow countrymen and all Aussies on this small planet.