The face of Insecurity in Kenya


For some citizens of this vast nation of ours, Kenya, insecurity started after our former president Mwai Kibaki sent forces to neighbouring Somalia to topple Al-shabaab. This is an Al-Qaeda affiliated group in the Horn of Africa that has spread terror and destroyed everything that once made Somalia. For these Kenyan folks, before these terrorists from the north took on vengeance attacks, Kenya was the most peaceful of them all. I mean after all we are comparing it to Somali, South Sudan and the DRC. This is a mistake, and here are the reasons.

Insecurity is not something new; it has been there before KDF incursion into Somalia, before Westgate Attacks, before Mpeketoni attacks. Insecurity and its threat level do not simply increase because an area of interest to the economy is affected. We have treated insecurity with different magnitude. When the coastal areas known for its tourist attractions are affected the threat seem to be of a national issue, and not when it happens in the little known areas in like Marsabit, Turkana ot Moyale.

And as much as we would like to blame the terrorists, militias, cattle rustlers, and unemployment, the state  is to blame, after all, it’s tasked with keeping its citizens secure from threats like these.  A state is tasked with providing political goods to its citizen and the most fundamental one is security. Without security lives will be poor, brutal and short. Ability of Kenyans to live peacefully without fear of having their lives robbed or their loved ones or neighbours taken too early through preventable violence seems to be declining. This did not come about in August of 2011, no, it was there before, dating back to the first decade after independence. Insecurity especially criminal violence is increasing in Kenya at a high rate, with attacks on both civilians and law enforcers as witnessed in the counties of Nairobi, Mombasa, Lamu, Malindi, Marsabit and Mandera.

It looks like our state and the organs tasked with security provision is not performing well in effectively dealing with insecurity in the country that is having impact not only on the lives of the citizens but also business and tourism.  This evident weakness in effective provision of security to the citizens is not inherent, it’s manmade. It is a result of failure of leaders tasked with this, especially, state security organs. The Kenya Defence Forces, Police, National Intelligence Service have the responsibility under the constitution to protect Kenya and its peoples. And with the killings around the country, looks like these state apparatus have failed in their duties to secure the people and their rights to life and freedom.

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