My LAST thought on WESTGATE MALL terrorist attack!

Last  year I wrote an article  A QUESTION ON SECURITY OFFICERS ATTACKS AND KILLINGS 
The article was basically questioning the manner in which the operation that was supposed to recover cattle from rustlers and bandits was carried out as to turn so tragic as to end up slaughtering more than 40 security officers in Suguta Valley. The other sad part was the manner of reporting that was being done concerning the operation and it was clear too that the whole operation was full of mysteries and cover ups. This questions even our journalism and its lack of consistency in reporting, just writing stories that are half-baked.

It is like Kenya never learns from the past mistakes and with the westgate mall attack, the same mistakes got not only repeated but magnified. Poor coordination of the police and KDF and other rescuers e.g. red-cross,  inconsistent reports from Internal Security Minister Ole Lenku, reports on the missing people, the exact time the mall was retaken from the terrorists and the fate of the last moment hostages, were there any captured/killed terrorists and any evidence to back the allegation as to dispel our doubts, etc

A billow of smoke rises from Westgate mall.

When the government tries to reassure its citizens that there are countless of terror threats that it has managed to thwart or abort, the simple saying is nullified by inconsistent reports on a case like Westgate mall operation.
I am not a military expert and will not attempt to correct the manner of how the terrorists were dealt with. My greatest concern is the great questions that the government seems unwilling to answer and the contradicting press reports by Mr. Ole Lenku which ever seemed to contradict each other every time he appeared on press or when other reports came out.

As a matter of closure to the Westgate Mall Terror Attack we need to continue asking questions. However any fool can ask questions. We need to stretch our intellectual frontiers to suggest actionable solutions.


My first question regards how NSIS recruits its staff. I am quite ignorant about this. Can we be sure that the most qualified are watching over us? It could be that under the veil of secrecy the most incompetent but well connected individuals are chosen. Consequently these people have neither the capacity nor passion for the job. NSIS is national security intelligence service; it is not a secret society. This institution must be overhauled as it is clearly not delivering as it ought to.


Despite the many terror attacks this country has suffered we take security issues too casually. We forget too fast. The security checks are just a joke. Apart from creating jobs and wasting time these security checks serve little if any purpose. The law must be changed to allow for armed security guards with necessary checks and balances. 


The casual manner in which the security cabinet secretary was appointed using the contemptuous roadside declaration KANU era script clearly shows how the mighty who are heavily guarded regard the security of the lowly man. Now that the terrorists have shown that no one is safe I hope those in authority will be shocked to seriousness. If that doesn't happen prayers remain our first line of defense. 


We must blame the terrorists but we must blame ourselves more. Corruption has become a lifestyle and a national hobby. The immigration department and the security agencies like all of us are deeply infected with corruption. The staff there will not think twice before allowing suspicious people to progress to their next crime for as long as a few shillings/dollars change hands. If we do not stop corruption it will definitely stop us.


The loudness of the silence of the so called human rights activists is hard to notice. May be those killed by terrorists have no rights. It is high time the death penalty was revived. Life has become too cheap in this country for my comfort. The investigative journalists who have taken every opportunity to curse and disparage our security forces should crawl out of their holes and express happiness as the fruits of their efforts are now clear. 


We must secure our borders. The government must rethink about the so called porous borders in the northern and eastern parts of the country. If they can't secure the borders let us be allowed to arm ourselves so that when the terrorists come calling we wouldn't die without putting up a decent fight. If you take this for desperation you are not wrong.


Lastly, while we laud Kenyans for their concerns and positive reaction let us hope that we will show the same concern when the walalahoi/hoi polloi of the society are affected. Let us banish the hypocrisy. If this thing happened in Kibera the media would have switched to soaps and naija movies in less than six hours. We must change they way we think about the poor and the weak. In the end no one is safe until everyone is safe.

NB: The Italicized section is from a great thinker who also happens to be one of my friends on Facebook, whom you can subscribe to his news feeds for more: Ephraim Njega. 
 
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