Don’t sleep on the the job, stop these killers at once

The slaughter of 108 people in Tana River County over the past fortnight in a series of massacres raises troubling questions about the state of Kenya’s security, only six months to a crucial General Election.

The killings are among the most barbaric ever witnessed. Women and helpless children seem to evoke no pity in the hate-filled hearts of the gangs carrying out the slaughter. Even the almost ritual hacking and burning of cattle bespeaks of unmentionable evil.

That 200 thugs can organise, mobilise, move around and perpetrate these kinds of atrocities in the face of a full security mobilisation ought to give President Kibaki, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Internal Security Minister Yusuf Haji and other leaders of the security apparatus sleepless nights. (READ: Tension high in Tana Delta)

This is because it means that we haven’t made that much progress since 2007/8 and the confidence that election clashes couldn’t recur might just be wishful thinking.

The government is flat out of time: the cause of these outrageous killings must immediately be established, the perpetrators identified, prosecuted and speedily processed. The message must be conveyed that killing each other for whatever reason will not be tolerated today, during or after the election, or indeed any other time.

The authorities must review these massacres with a clear eye. It has been speculated that the killings could be politically-motivated and a cruel attempt to improve electoral chances by killing and driving away some tribes. (SEE IN PICTURES: Tana clashes)

If this is so, then it is a blinding case of ethnic cleansing. No options, including referring the masterminds of the massacres to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, must be taken off the table.

The President, Prime Minister, Cabinet and their top advisers should stop sitting on their hands in the belief that this is not serious. It is.

We live in a volatile country, which has once experienced a catastrophic breakdown. Communal bloodshed, whenever it occurs, must be stamped out immediately and firmly.

This means that the government must employ its best mechanisms to immediately halt the killings and bring the perpetrators to book.

Deployment of additional ill-armed policemen is not a demonstration of seriousness. The best-trained and armed units of the police and the military must immediately be brought into play.

The killing of 100 Kenyans in a fortnight is a serious toll meriting the most decisive response. The threat of these massacres setting a bad example for other places is an even bigger danger.

Border issues between Ijara and Tana River must be looked into. Conflict over water, pasture and farmlands must be addressed, and the failure of local leaders to take charge of this situation and resolve it peacefully must also be carefully examined.

There has been much talk that the Provincial Administration, which gathers security information and secures the peace at every level, is demoralised because its position in the new Constitution is uncertain.

The police are also feared to be unhappy over pay and the stage at which they are in the reforms process, which has left many officers unsure of their future.

A vacuum, or near-vacuum, should never exist in the security of the country. Police reforms must urgently be completed. Alternative security mechanisms must quickly be put in place if the Provincial Administration is to be scrapped.

If there are any serving public servants who are judged to be unenthusiastic about protecting Kenyans, then the harshest punishment must be preferred against them.

Bottom-line? Not a single Kenyan should die in Tana River or elsewhere in this manner. An example must be sent to killers elsewhere: Never again!