Let’s emulate late Maawy’s sacrifice and contribution

On behalf of the counter terrorism community, and the National Counter Terrorism Centre in particular, we offer our deepest condolences to Public Works Principal Secretary Mariam El Maawy’s family and friends for their great loss, which is also ours. We honour her contribution to our work for Kenyans. Every officer who worked with her, and has had occasion to remark on this sad turn of events, has noted her as a conscientious and professional public servant.

Her death at the hands of Al Shabaab will be responded to comprehensively. Every Kenyan life is precious and the government will continue to offer no quarter to any individual or group that hurts our citizens. Kenya is still under the threat of global and regional terrorism. Al Shabaab has attacked security personnel, civilians and destroyed installations such as communication masts, schools and health centres. The attacks cost lives and pose a threat to our economy.

They aim to destroy our democracy, and, as part of a international jihadist movement, destroy the global order. It cannot succeed for the whole world, and even history itself, is arrayed against it. This helplessness combined with its viciousness is testament to its bankrupt ideas and its twisted appeal to sacred values.

Al Shabaab, and its fellow travelers, claim to champion the rights of the very Muslims they brutalise and terrorise. The attack on El Maawy, a pious Muslim, and a decent person, who only wanted the best for those with the least, demonstrates the hypocrisy at the heart of their cause. Jihadism today is not a glorious return to a great Islamic past, it is an outgrowth of the collapse of humane values and purpose in its adherents. It is a movement of despair not of power.

The PS understood this and was committed to banishing this vice. She exemplified the hope inherent in Kenya: that an individual, no matter their religious affiliation, gender or ethnicity, can rise, of their own effort and talent, to great heights and make a positive impact on the lives of millions. Kenya security services are working hard daily to detect and disrupt terrorist plots. The threat from terrorists is dynamic, flexible and has ability to continue costing Kenyan lives. We urge every leader and citizen to be alert and provide us with information that will assist us to protect all.

We are focused on building preventive systems and devolving such efforts. This prevention push broadly comes under the National Strategy to Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) that was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in September 2016. He has supported our efforts to devolve the CVE strategy to the county and local level and to work more across government departments and with civil society. We urge every Governor and MP, and every organisation with a will to combat extremism, to join in this work.

At the core of radicalisation is the psychological and political exit from Kenyan citizenship. Political speech that opens such gaps, particularly in the young, is manna for terrorist recruiters. We are hurt by the loss of PS Mariam El Maawy but are given strength by her example to forge on to build a nation worthy of her sacrifice and contributions.

- The writer is the Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism and the Director, National Counter Terrorism Centre. @AmbMKimani