Biggest weapon against terror is not to yield to it

Kenya: If there was any doubt that Kenya is at war with terrorists, Sunday’s attack on a church in Mombasa was proof enough that there lives among us a group of people to whom human life means virtually nothing; even the lives of toddlers and babies whose only crime is to have been born innocent.

This is no ordinary war, however, for we are dealing with individuals and groups who decided long ago that their ticket to heaven is to murder innocent civilians in the name of religion, egged on by preachers of hate and armed by a network of evil with tentacles around the globe.

What was the crime of the worshippers who were attacked by a coward who sprayed them with bullets? It is becoming clearer by the day that the plan of Al Shabaab is two-pronged: destroy the tourism industry that is one of Kenyan’s biggest foreign exchange earners and, two, to foment inter-religious hatred and violence.

On the latter, they will ultimately fail, not for lack of trying, but because most Kenyans share a distaste for the hate-fuelled violence that seeks to pit Muslim against Christian.

With regard to the tourism industry, the bigger question is the ability of the Government to protect its citizens. That is now in serious doubt after security breaches in Mombasa city that saw a car bomb sit in the parking of a police station for six days and the easy escape by the terrorists who sprayed worshippers at a church in Likoni yesterday with bullets.

We have said it before and we repeat it here that President Uhuru Kenyatta must  be bolder and fire security chiefs who are sleeping on the job. There is no other option because next time the death toll might surpass that of the Westgate Mall.

The rot in our internal security is fodder for terrorists who thrive on fear. Their aim is to create a sense of hopelessness within a general population by making them feel unsafe and unable to go about their normal lives. This is no time to be squeamish. Remember, these people will not spare your life if given the chance.

Kenyans should not succumb to such fear. Although it is clear that the Government has failed many times to prevent attacks of this nature, it is also true that the police cannot be everywhere at the same time. Kenyans need to be more alert about their neighbours, and report any strange or unusual people or occurrences to the police.

The best intelligence against terrorists comes from patriotic citizens.

This is not living in fear. It is accepting that while national security is the responsibility of the Government, everyone can help by taking time to note things or people that appear out of place.

These terrorists live among us. We know them, but ignore the small things that can alert us to their ill intentions.

We must, as a nation accept that as long as our troops are in Somalia, the enemy they are fighting will come after us at home and so must avoid being complacent.