Such security lapses shouldn’t be tolerated

The nation is united in grief following the slaughter of 17 people in Garissa on Sunday.

All agree that what had started as sporadic grenade attacks have morphed into an organised extermination of innocent citizens, and the intention is to strike terror in our hearts and cower us into submission.

However, that is not acceptable. Going by the frequency and increasing intensity of the attacks, there is no doubt that the terror groups that coalesce around Al-Shabaab are getting bolder.

That is why they had the temerity to pounce on police officers guarding the Garissa church and shoot them before descending on the hapless congregants with bullets and grenades.

Indeed, the killing has elicited public outrage over the state of security. The citizens are concerned that the authorities are not doing their best.

Police Commissioner Mather Iteere, while exonerating the Force from blame, argues they had information about imminent attacks, but were not sure where.

That, in itself, was admission that something is amiss with the intelligence apparatus.

The purpose of intelligence is to gather information about any occurrence and where it is likely to happen. Without that, the information is not helpful.

When Kenya sent its forces to Somalia to fight Al-Shabaab, the insurgents warned they would not take the offensive lying down. On its part, the government expressed confidence it would help to wipe out the terror gangs in and without Somalia.

Now, the terrorists have brought the war to our doorsteps, which simply means that we have to fight them more viciously here and out there.

If there was any reason to declare a full-fledged war against Al-Shabaab and their sympathisers, the time is now. The nation is united in grief following the slaughter of 17 people in Garissa on Sunday.

All agree that what had started as sporadic grenade attacks have morphed into an organised extermination of innocent citizens, and the intention is to strike terror in our hearts and cower us into submission.

However, that is not acceptable. Going by the frequency and increasing intensity of the attacks, there is no doubt that the terror groups that coalesce around Al-Shabaab are getting bolder.

That is why they had the temerity to pounce on police officers guarding the Garissa church and shoot them before descending on the hapless congregants with bullets and grenades.

Indeed, the killing has elicited public outrage over the state of security. The citizens are concerned that the authorities are not doing their best.

Police Commissioner Mather Iteere, while exonerating the Force from blame, argues they had information about imminent attacks, but were not sure where.

That, in itself, was admission that something is amiss with the intelligence apparatus.

The purpose of intelligence is to gather information about any occurrence and where it is likely to happen. Without that, the information is not helpful.