One of the rule of thumb anyone in the financial sector applies is the Know Your Customer often used in its abbreviated format (KYC).
This, those in the banking sector will tell you, has been the main reason for their overwhelming success. A discerning bank executive uses this to the maximum. I believe those in the military will talk about knowing your enemy. The generals will, like the bank executive, boast about knowing their enemy.
So then why is it that we seem unable to fight back the threat posed by the Al Shabaab terror group despite the much-heralded entry into Somalia?
In war, a good army reviews its strategy with time. I also believe that our men and women in uniform know that the world's most powerful army had fled Somalia before. But I am convinced that we seem to have stuck to the original strategy of entering Somalia to flush out Al-Shabaab. Stabilising Somalia was itemised, but on that score, many questions linger.
Al-Shabaab seems to find us on the back foot all the time. I am reminded of an infographic going round last week on social media depicting the movement (in opposite directions) of Al-Shabaab and KDF soldiers.
Indeed, the existence of the militant group Al-Shabaab is symptomatic of the state of affairs in Somalia. Since the overthrow of the government of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, the Somali nation has been in anarchy.
Al-Shabaab is just a product of that anarchy and probably will be there for a long time to come if a stable, democratic government is not found in Somalia. In fact, Al-Shabaab is now far more dangerous than when they were controlling most of Somalia with an address of abode.
At least then, they considered themselves a government and even made efforts to procure peace and security in many parts of the country. The precursor of Al-Shabaab, the Islamic Courts surprised many within Somalia and beyond when they pacified a large section of the war-torn nation in 2006.
Kenya and Ethiopia were not happy with this Taliban-like group at the helm of a government so close. This culminated in the invasion of Somalia by Ethiopian forces. A transitional government under the leadership of Abdullahi Yusuf was installed.
Some would like to say the intervention by Ethiopia brought back anarchy in unimaginable proportion highlighting the complex political situation of Somalia as a state. Although it was treated as an independent, self-governing the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), was recognised (with varying degrees of conviction) by the European Union, the United Nations, Britain and the United States.
Yet despite that, it was not able to protect its own people or even negotiate effectively on their behalf. Over the years since the recognition was rashly granted, it has become increasingly obvious that the TFG is not a functional government (except insofar as it acts as a channel for aid to its own members and cronies).
It controls neither the country nor its people and, indeed, provides no services. In short, it is not and never has been a government in any meaningful sense of the term. Meanwhile, the Ethiopian forces withdrew from Somalia.
Fast forward, the Al-Shabaab having been the right wing arm of the Islamic Courts simply alienated the Transitional Federal Government to fill the void and once again occupied South Central Somalia including the capital Mogadishu.
They demonstrated that they were able to bring back sanity to a country that faced anarchy for most of the last quarter of a century. Once again, the neighbouring countries got concerned with the extreme version of the theocracy that this group professed.
Through the African Mission in Somalia (Amisom) the African Union intervention force, Countries from the great lake region such as Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Kenya alongside their Ethiopian neighbour once again sent peace keeping forces that helped the weak federal government regain control over some parts of Somalia.
The truth of the matter though is that the federal government is still very weak and unable to protect itself let alone the Somali people. Any attempt to tame Al-Shabaab will largely depend on whether Somalia shall get a strong and effective and democratic government. So far the major international powers like the United States and the European Union seem to fatigued in helping Somali get stabilised.
The Amisom even though are keeping the Federal government of Somalia in place, they are not able to stabilise the economy, build capacity for the Government, help end the incessant wrangles pitting the President and the Prime Minister.
Unless and until that is done, Kenya will continue to fight an amorphous group that mutates. The Al-Shabaab currently does not control any specific area. They don't seem to even have camps as alleged. Therefore going after them will lead to nowhere.
Because after attacking Kenyans they simply cross into Somalia and melt away into the communities living along the border.
The blame game here in Kenya as to who should be responsible for the deaths caused by Al-Shabaab is a discussion way above any individual including the top security bosses.
Unless a credible government is put in place; a government that will be held accountable to the people of Somalia and to the world, the appointment of a new Security Cabinet Secretary and a new Inspector General of Police will not mean much.
