Uhuru’s comments on insecurity were distorted to intensify alarm

On November 26, at the University of Nairobi, President Kenyatta made strong and clear observations on issues that have taxed the nation’s mind recently — national (in)security and violence against women.

His comments have been taken out of context, distorted and hyped on social media to intensify alarm and distress.

The melodramatic and alarmist drive to distort every issue for selfish gain has not helped matters. Hearing some leaders, opinion shapers and activists, one would think Kenya was Afghanistan.

The government has done incredibly well in investing billions of shillings to improve security. Recruitment has been expanded and will be sustained to achieve an acceptable police-citizen ratio.

Police training curriculum has been revised to accommodate emerging challenges to law and order, while over 2,700 additional vehicles have been paid for to improve police mobility and response time. Technologies have also been acquired to improve officers’ work. Further, for the first time, the government has provided a comprehensive insurance plan for all officers.

Thus, the government is delivering its pledge on security, and there has been a notable improvement in the maintenance of law and order.

Crime statistics has registered the positive impact of these interventions.

DISTRESSING PHENOMENA

That said, it is true that our security situation is unsatisfactory. Crime and insecurity are truly distressing phenomena. Our fear, mainly, is not that we live under a perpetual threat; our fear is that our security forces are incapable or unwilling to protect us.

This is an intense fear that understandably makes people unable to detach themselves sufficiently to understand the complex context of our situation. Our insecurity has a complicated international dimension that has little to do with us as a country.

Just as we are an international hub for diplomacy, trade and investment, our geo-strategic advantage also places us at the crossroads of drug trafficking, wildlife poaching, money laundering and, yes, terrorism.

This is not to say that we do not have a domestic factor in the entire sad situation. Institutional issues in the security sector, especially the police service, have compounded our vulnerability. In particular, structural and operational deficiencies have worsened the unpredictability and inefficiency of our police. The legal framework under the current constitutional dispensation seems to have worsened the situation.

Finally, our susceptibility to criminal attacks is multiplied by an endemic affliction of the police service: corruption.

DEALER AND ADDICT

It is so prevalent in the service that year after year, it ranks as the most corrupt institution. A security officer who accepts a bribe to excuse traffic infractions will most certainly accept a bigger bribe to allow uninspected cargo pass through check points.

This is where we come in as citizens. Bribery, like drug trafficking, has the dealer and the addict. Police, for certain, do not bribe themselves!

Without a doubt, security agencies are not doing enough. At the same time, the government cannot police every individual, every household, every road and every inch of Kenyan space.

Failing to report incidents when we witness them is dangerous. These are functions of our individual and collective integrity. It is a challenge we cannot evade.