State Of The Nation

The past few days in Kenya will be echoed as part of our country’s history in both the positive and negative facets. Positively, the step taken by President Kenyatta to name and shame public officials who are believed to have engaged in activities shadowed by corruption has definitely set the momentum to deal with the vice that has engulfed this country for many years. On the other hand, the killing of the 148 intellectuals by terrorists will go down the memory lane as one of the deadliest terrorist attacks to have ever been witnessed within our borders.

The bold step taken by the president to crack the whip on allegedly corrupt individuals deserves to be applauded. His was naming the individuals and asking them to step aside to pave way for investigations to be carried out. The whole world is now watching as to whether those who will be found guilty will be prosecuted or not. Certainly, the challenge lies here. For years we have not been able to deal with graft effectively and this is the reason why the levels of corruption have escalated.

Dealing with corruption should not be reduced to an only government affair but it should instead be each citizen’s responsibility to try and weed out the corruption monster. The Opposition should also support the government in this. I was perplexed when Hon. Raila Odinga claimed that the names that were mentioned by President Kenyatta targeted the Opposition members. Quite astonishing, isn’t it? This is because the list also featured politicians from the government side. In upholding the unwritten principle of political morality, all the politicians irrespective of their party affiliations should be at the fore-front in the fight against corruption.

Hence, this should be a new beginning of annihilating the beast of corruption that has evaded us for ages. My plea to President Kenyatta is that he should spare nobody accused of any misdeeds associated with graft. The fight against corruption is politically costly but we ought to recall the adage that victory comes at a cost. The president should be aware that rounding up the corrupt individuals will create a new political frontier which will definitely be against him but history will forever remember him.

The president as the captain of the Jubilee Alliance has less than two years to prove that his administration has not been one of the most corrupt regimes in Kenya. In his potent efforts to do so, we need to support him for the sake of our dear lives and the lives of the generations after us. President Kenyatta should perhaps be aware that in the fight against corruption, the buck certainly stops with him and not the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission that is quite toothless because of the blurred leadership that has engulfed it.

In matters security, the past week has been traumatizing because of the terrorist attack at the Garissa University College. The stigmatization of the family members and the survivors of the attack cannot be imagined as such an act of terror was bound to occur but wasn’t expected at all. My thinking is I really doubt if it were Al Shabaab who orchestrated the horrendous act. But again may be they were part of Al Shabaab as terrorist groups are known to have networks with their sympathizers. All in all, it was a terrorist attack.

The government should have been well aware that such imminent attacks on learning institutions were bound to happen given that a number of terrorist groups notably Boko Haram have carried out similar actions. The universality in principles and ideologies shared by the terrorist groups prompts them to borrow a leaf and exchange notes with each other. How the government is going to deal with the devilish acts of terrorism remains a mirage but we all hope for the best. However, the political gimmicks and blame games between the government and opposition sides serves to strengthen the Al Shabaab and motivates them simply due to the disunity among leaders from the different political orientations.

I find no reason at all of politicizing the security issue. In fact, at such times is when we should display unity because no person would wish to be insecure. In dealing with the Al Shabaab, the government should use any mechanism whether it is deporting the refugees back to Somalia, building a wall along the Kenya-Somalia border or even withdrawing our troops from the pariah state that is Somalia. Whether such acts will be humane or inhumane, heroic or cowardly, so be it but the bottom-line will be the protection of our people’s lives.

In conclusion, we all have not only a duty but also a responsibility in ensuring that our country is secure and devoid of corruption. We should all support the president in his efforts to ensure that Kenya is secure and free from graft. Such efforts will be a sure-fire towards realizing our goals and aspirations as a nation.