Guilty verdict significant victory in war on terror

On Wednesday three suspects were convicted over the Garissa University terror attack  in which 148 people, mostly students, were killed on April 2, 2015. Another 79 were injured in the attack blamed on Somalia's Al Shabaab militia.

Rashid Mberesero, Hassan Edin Hassan and Muhamed Abdi Abukar were found guilty of all the charges for the heinous act and will be sentenced on July 3.

The conviction is good news for several reasons.

Though incapable of wiping tears off the faces of those who lost their loved ones, the move provides Kenyans with relief that finally justice will be served through severe punishment of the monsters involved in the dastardly crime.

The conviction also sends a strong warning to terrorists and would-be terrorists that there is nowhere to hide in Kenya's war against terrorism.

Although, the Judiciary has been accused of being the weak link in the war against terrorism, just as it has been in the war on graft, the judgment against the three by Nairobi Magistrate Francis Andayi, has vindicated the courts.

The decision has proven that when provided with evidence, as Chief Justice David Maraga once said, judges and magistrates will have no option but to do what they are supposed to do. Simply put courts cannot and will not allow terrorists to walk away with murder.

Sadly, Andayi's verdict came as eight Kenyan security officers were killed in Wajir. Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the improvised explosive device attack.

The attack should be a wake-up call that the country is still in danger; that all and sundry should remain alert at all times. We should not rest on our laurels just because our security agencies have largely routed the miscreants and greatly decimated their attack power.

For the war against terrorism to won, security personnel and civilians alike, must play their rightful role.