The security of our learners must be assured

The terror attack on Garissa University College has brutally brought home the truth about the vulnerability of our institutions of learning, from primary schools to universities.

The country is still trying to come to terms with the horrendous killings, which robbed the country of 148 of its best sons and daughters. The heart-rending images of this heinous attack will remain seared in our memories for a long time and the trauma inflicted on the survivors and their families will take years to be erased.

Something must be done quickly regarding the safety of pupils and students.

In such dark moments, the feeling of defeat is overwhelming and it easy to sink into despair.

We have now been brutally reminded of the centrality of security preparedness in every educational institution. Schools and colleges have always been in charge of their own security.

Of course it is the constitutional right of the government to safeguard life and property. But citizens have a pivotal role to play in augmenting official efforts. Our security will vastly improve if each one of us, at individual and institutional level, acted proactively.

The central piece of security strategies targeted at terrorism is impeccable intelligence and collaborative efforts between members of the society and authorities.

UNIQUE CHALLENGES

Yes, it behoves the government agencies, especially the National Intelligence Service, to scour every nook and cranny for information that would give a lead into the activities of those planning to harm innocent people through crime or terror.

But terrorism has spawned unique challenges and conventional solutions no longer apply. New forms of insecurity threats sometimes require civilians to literally take the matters into their own arms.

Remember the 9/11 tragedy in the United State? When passengers in one of the ill-fated planes realised it was being piloted to the dead end, they went to the cockpit and took over the stewardship of the aircraft. Even though they eventually died, it teaches us a fundamental lesson about the importance of life skills.

These tragic events place more responsibility in the hands of the citizen. We have to be our brother’s keeper. We must know what our neighbours are up to. We must know what our classmates are plotting. We must know our school mates well.

It may sound too demanding, suffocating and overly intrusive. In the situation we find ourselves in, we need to make painful sacrifices. Vigil by everyone is the cornerstone of security in today’s world.

SECURITY TRAINING

Every school, college and university should start offering comprehensive training on security. How could students, for instance, identify colleagues who could be involved in suspicious activities?

The training needs to sharpen the antennae of students regarding queer activities that point to a looming danger.  We need to find ways to involve students to be the custodians of their own security.

Is there a way, for instance, that Garissa fatalities would have been minimised? Is there a way that the students could have reacted in order to disorient the barbaric strategy of these blood-thirsty terrorists?

In the US, they have a run-hide-fight tactic. This means when attackers strike, whether at a school, college, workplace, church, mosque or mall, the first thing to do is to run as far away as possible from the attack.

If you are unable to flee for any reason, hide in a safe place. And if hiding is untenable, the last option is to fight back with whatever weapon you can find. Should we be thinking also along these lines?

It took long for anti-terror commandos to arrive and neutralise the terrorists in Garissa. If the university security team and students themselves knew a thing or two about anti-terror tactics perhaps lives would have been saved. It is disturbing that whenever terrorists strike, we are completely defenceless. 

Dr Gicharu is the chairman and founder of Mount Kenya University.