Giving President draconian power is wrong

What you need to know:

  • The endless attacks the country faces are clear symptoms of a state that has failed. Central to the terror attacks is the endemic corruption of security agents and a general perception that Kenya is literally for sale.
  • The terror attacks in northern Kenya and at the Coast are underpinned by political grievances unlike the terror related to pasture and cattle rustling in some parts of the country. The government needs to answer the question why has terror in Kenya assumed a Muslim identity?
  • A national feeling that in matters of security the buck stops with General Karangi does not help matters. We are facing terror because the Kenyan state is too corrupt and dysfunctional. It is wobbling and tottering. Giving the president and the corrupt security forces more power is not the answer.

Kenya is facing both dangerous and defining times. Dangerous because the country is under constant attack from terrorists.

Dangerous because the government has no answer to these attacks. Dangerous because the government doesn’t understand the true causes of the attacks.

Defining because the response by the government will fundamentally shape the future of the country. Defining because the government is going the wrong way.

In the face of these terror attacks the government looks and acts clueless and out of its depth. From the Westgate attack to the murderous killing of the innocent at a quarry in Mandera, the government looks impotent, disjointed and resigned in the face of these attacks.

The final solution, and the wrong one, is to give the President and security organs draconian powers. The tragedy with this fallacious strategy is that the government has no idea what the problems are in the first place. The solutions it seeks to offer will miserably fail in light of the wrong prognosis.

So what are the causes of the terror attacks in Kenya? A number of interrelated factors and actors are at play. For Kenya to defeat both the external and internal threats it must address the following root causes. Central to a lasting solution is the reconstruction of the Kenyan state.

ENDLESS ATTACKS

The endless attacks the country faces are clear symptoms of a state that has failed. Central to the terror attacks is the endemic corruption of security agents and a general perception that Kenya is literally for sale.

First, Kenya has a Muslim problem. The Muslim population in the country is restive and agitated. Most of the terror attacks the country faced in the last few years had a bright crescent ring.
The terror attacks in northern Kenya and at the Coast are underpinned by political grievances unlike the terror related to pasture and cattle rustling in some parts of the country. The government needs to answer the question why has terror in Kenya assumed a Muslim identity?

Second, Muslims in Kenya face state-sponsored terror. This problem is related to the first. Whether it is the extra-judicial killings in Mombasa, the storming of mosques, the mass arrests of Somalis or the habitual lockdowns of Eastleigh, the Muslim community sees the state as a hostile force.

Matters are not helped by a long history of mistrust and marginalisation. When you have a significant sector of your society in constant confrontation with the state you have a problem.

Third, this country is literally for sale. Kenya is one country where every office in the republic, with the exception of less than half dozen, is up for sale. Greed and corruption have consumed the national conscious of government employees. When civil servants have no national pride or civic pride in their country, they will sell it for a song.

MAKE MONEY

Fourth, from the general to the constable, the Kenya soldier is ready to sell his motherland for a song. Every Kenyan in uniform wakes up in the morning with a view to make a lot of money.

Our men in uniform are afflicted with a “get rich quick” disease. They are more of traders and businessmen than members of disciplined forces. The higher the rank, the more malignant the disease.

Fifth, every employee of government from Cabinet Secretaries to office messengers are part-time employees. All cadres of government employees run full time private jobs. That is why Uhuru’s Cabinet has some of the wealthiest Kenyans.

Sixth, after 18 months in power, Kenyans are at a loss in fathoming what the Uhuru presidency entails. What is his endgame in defining his legacy? What are the five defining pillars of his presidency? Where is the blueprint of the administration? The failure to judge the strength of Uhuru has greatly increased incidents of terror and even instability of the country.

A national feeling that in matters of security the buck stops with General Karangi does not help matters. We are facing terror because the Kenyan state is too corrupt and dysfunctional. It is wobbling and tottering. Giving the president and the corrupt security forces more power is not the answer. We need a national dialogue on how to create a viable country.

 Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi is the Publisher, Nairobi Law Monthly