Let’s understand and deal with the dilemma of security in Kenya

The lull following the Al-Shabaab attack on Garissa University College came to an end this week. The new attack was on a police convoy at Yumbis.

One police officer, it was officially, confirmed died. But as a country, we have not really taken stock of the cumulating impact of the attacks, the confusion, fear and further insecurity these fuel.

So during the lull, we did not get our basic communication strategy straight. Soon after the attack on the convoy, we scrambled with conflicting information.

Our key challenge is that we have not yet understood the dilemmas posed by the current security crisis. Dilemmas are tough, as they pose conflicting or contradictory challenges and it is the intention of Al-Shabaab to fix us into a situation where either response is bad, where you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

Indeed, I can understand how difficult it is for the security agencies. But we do not pay taxes so we can perpetually understand government failures to ensure security.

My worry is that rather than rethink our security strategy, we appear always to be waiting with bated breath when the next attack will come from. The better and proper approach, however, must be a careful analysis of patterns and the putting in place of counter-measures that will lessen the impact of more attacks. If any of our counter-measures deters an attack, and if the government can occasionally publicise such foiled attacks, it will consequently send out a strong signal that not all attacks are guaranteed of success.

For a start, let’s understand the dilemmas that the current security threats pose. Some of these are basic and simple and need to be factored into the everyday operations of the security agencies.

CRIPPLE OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM

Take, for instance, the attacks that are bringing to a halt teaching in northeastern Kenya. We know that terror attacks survive and gain credibility by disrupting everyday life. If terrorists cripple our school system and stall teaching, that alone is success for them. So by simply doing nothing other than letting fear spread among teachers, terrorists win.

What is our government strategy for dealing with this dilemma? From what we witnessed this week, there seems to be none. On the best of days, all our Cabinet secretary for Education has done is to blame schools and the teachers.

There is no sign that teachers are being spoken to as adults, as people who can listen, conceptualise and understand. Teachers are supposed to understand, but merely from press conferences. Worse, there is no reliable evidence that their security has been enhanced.

Without any such response, I am not sure that if I were a teacher in any of the northeastern counties I would wait for the brutal confirmation of whether the rumours of an impending Al-Shabaab attack on non-natives is true.

It is worse if the most visible leadership in the region is ignorant, arrogant but extremely loud, if statements associated with that leadership reflect many contradictions and insensitivity.

This is the message one easily reads from Aden Duale, that loud commentator on everything who seems to think, at least according to a publicly available video, that Al-Shabaab should leave Eastliegh and focus on Machakos.

If the loudest leadership in the region shows such callous disregard for basic decorum, what would motivate teachers who are not native to northeastern to stay?

Yet, the consequences for students in the region remain horrible. In the absence of teachers, our desire for equalisation of opportunity, something we entrenched in our Constitution, is fully undermined. We know that the northeast has been subjected to repeated historical wrongs. Most of these wrongs were overseen by previous governments.

Godwin Murunga is senior research fellow, Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi.