“And
when I speak, I don’t speak as a democrat or a republican or an American. I
speak as a victim of the so called democracy. You and I have never seen
democracy- all we have seen is hypocrisy. When we open our eyes today and look
around America, we see America not through the eyes of someone who has enjoyed
the fruits of Americanism. We see America through the eyes of someone who has
been the victim of Americanism. We don’t see any American dream. We have
experienced only the American nightmare. -- (MALCOM X)
While the Government of the Republic of
Kenya and the entire Kenyan fraternity can boast of numbers in economic and
social development, the northern part of the country has been stagnant, thanks
to the leadership of this great East African nation. One may even wonder
whether the so called equal distribution of national resources has any
practical meaning when it comes to its application in Kenya. It is on record
that immediately after independence, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta took a solemn vow to
move this country forward and fight disease, poverty and ignorance. Yet after
fifty years of turbulence and struggle on the part of the inhabitants of these
impoverished regions, there is nothing to write home about in Turkana, Samburu,
Pokot, and Baringo counties, just to name a few. The basic principles of
citizen protection on which a larger chunk of the Constitution 2010 is founded
on, have not found their way into the priorities of Kenya’s torch-bearers.
The focus and quality of security in
northern Kenya, particularly in recent years, has been a subject of extensive
debate. The myriads of security problems affecting these regions are more
serious than what has been shown by previous data. The communities consider it
a high priority, the foundation of their very existence, their constitutional
right, and have taken considerable energy to speak out and act on the issue.
Government interventions have always remained pedestrian and traditional even
after realizing that the security issues of this regions demand innovative
approaches. The leadership has failed to atone itself to the fallacious claims
that they are elected into office to serve and preserve the interests of
Kenyans, poor or rich, marginalized or not, northern or central. Not even in
the jungle does the government sit on the fence watching while its citizens-
some of whom fought for the independence of the country are butchered by the
enemy from yonder as it happened in the Todonyang’ massacre. Failure on the
part of the government to deal with the situation in northern Kenya ranging
from neglect to human rights violations has had drastic consequences on the
quality of life of these poor sons and daughters of God.
I have witnessed people who succumbed to
the drought together with their animals and families because they had all the
hope to live, the place to live, but did not have the food to eat. I have
witnessed people who died in the presence of all their friends and relatives
who had the generosity and sympathy but lacked the food to share out to them. I have seen and heard of friends and
relatives who were ambushed by the enemy in the presence of armed government
security officers who chose to “stay cool” and let the devil take over. The
recipients of this kind of injustice are
the ordinary men and women who toil and moil all day and night with stubborn
hope. A pro-active security approach can effectively and efficiently address
such security problems before they arise. Only then can Kenya claim to be a
democracy of the rule of law in which all are equal before the jus commune and a nation of the people,
by the people and for the people.
The options needed to propel the
security system in northern Kenya in the right direction include a strong
institutional structure and appropriate policies that can be realized only with
strong political commitment to the security needs of that region. It requires a
combined effort of the civil society, the government, religious and academic
institutions.
99% of the youth who have never had the
privilege of stepping into a classroom to receive basic education are roaming
the streets and valleys of Samburu, Turkana, Pokot and Baringo. Sometimes they
try hunting and gathering but because nature too has denied them the wild
fruits, they gather animals. They take advantage of the idleness to consolidate
a robust “army” to wage war against neighbors and nothing more. And because
they live in a country where everything is “fake” from the licenses they have
obtained to secure their guns from the long hand of the law to the very officer
at the Gun Registry that issued them, the business thrives. It is necessary to
dispose the illusion that the cattle-rustling thing is a modus Vivendi. It can never be baptized a way of life when the
world knows that these people have been neglected. It is also the law of nature
that any idle mind cannot engage in anything constructive. Development,
security enhancement and flyovers have been oscillating between Nairobi,
Western and Central Kenya
Our trauma may far surpass what is recorded
in our history books, what has been captured by the Kenyan media and what has
been discussed in this article.
There is no way to security- security is
the way.
Ekai
Nabenyo is a Law student at the University of Nairobi, born and brought-up in
northern Kenya.
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