Uhuru must address failures in internal security

This was a very good week for President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Jubilee administration. His government basked in glory as it welcomed two high-profile delegations who came calling carrying many goodies.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the World Bank arrived into Nairobi. Both heaped lavish praises on the President and his government.

The world, despite initial misgivings and vile propaganda by some European countries, has finally accepted that Nairobi is geopolitically indispensable and Uhuru is a President they can do business with.

There is a lesson to learn from the radical change of Kenya’s diplomatic fortunes in the last 18 months.

Kenya’s diplomat number one is the President himself, but the Foreign Secretary, Ambassador Amina Mohamed, and her team have done an exemplary job.

The foreign office looks different and delivers admirable results compared to the time when the stiff and scruffy Prof Sam Ongeri headed it.

The lesson to draw is that if the President picks the right person for the job and gives them the right support, Kenyans will get positive results.

In fact, after 18 months in power, the President and his Deputy seem to be in a comfort zone in terms of stabilising their government, delivering on many fronts, and putting the country on a cruise mode.

The economy is turning around, devolution is gaining ground, business optimism is high, foreign investment is going ahead, the judiciary is robust, infrastructure projects are in high gear and there is a general feeling that the country is on the right trajectory.

The President and his administration rightly sees the importance of the economy, infrastructure development, improvements in agricultural development and joins the dots to see that we need an holistic approach to realise Vision 2030.

But he ignores or underscores an important component: Security and the rule of law is a cardinal pillar in Vision 2030.

It is here that the Jubilee administration is doing badly and failing the country.

Without security and adherence to the rule of law, Kenyans should forget about attaining Vision 2030. It will remain a mirage, an illusion and a propaganda song.

Internal security and the rule of law is an area the President and his government need to focus attention on. The government has failed Kenyans in this area.

In a perilous state

Despite the cries and pleas of Kenyans, the President has refused to heed their concerns.

Ironically, it is the Office of the President that is in charge of internal security. Our internal security sector is in a shambles. We are needlessly losing lives and limbs.

Whether it is in Nairobi or in the counties in the north, law and order is in a perilous state. Death of innocent people and destruction and theft of their properties are a common occurrence. The situation is desperate.

True, the Jubilee Government has delivered on resources for the security forces and has undertaken a massive recruitment to increase the boots on the ground. But the security situation in many parts of the country, instead of improving, has worsened.

And there is a zero chance of any meaningful improvement in the near future unless the President truly appreciates what is ailing the sector and takes a decisive action.

The internal security sector has two crippling challenges. These two problems are the fundamentals or core factors that inform the symptoms of the security paralysis we are seeing.

The internal security sector lacks a strong and competent leadership fit for the offices. Individuals who simply don’t have the minimum competence and capabilities to deliver for Kenyans occupy offices that are crucial in bringing meaningful change to the sector.

Corruption at all levels is a daily ritualistic practice. How can a country survive if criminals can buy every office in the internal security sector at a nominal fee? How?

The President and his Deputy must address the abject failures in internal security. They cannot wish away the problems of insecurity.
Law and order are the first bricks to lay in the foundation of civilised states.

Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi is the publisher, Nairobi Law Monthly: [email protected]