Official enemies within worse than Al Shabaab

By Njoroge Kinuthia

Al Shabaab is in a celebratory mood. It is not hard to tell this. They are back on Twitter after the handle was temporarily pulled down. And they are busy gloating, mocking and laughing after the attack at Westgate Mall, amused by sorrowful faces and teary eyes.

The terrorists killed 61 and injured about 200 people in the brazen attack.

They may not have broken our spirit, but these fiends have a dealt us a blow. It is a big blow to the confidence and assurances that the powers that be have repeatedly given the public – that the war against terrorism was being won at home and abroad.

The truth is that we are not yet out of the woods. While the military may be winning the war in Somalia, at home the battle is far from being won.

But there is no backing down and President Kenyatta has clearly stated this. Rather than break our spirit, the President said Al-Shabaab has fired up our determination to fight terrorism — to fight on until all the outlaws are vanquished.

But can we really win this war?  We all know that terrorism is a hydra-headed monster, which can rear its head anywhere. It has spewed its killer venom even in the fortified UK and US.

Although it is not impossible, terrorism is hard to wipe out. But its incidence can be reduced markedly by unrelenting vigilance aimed at deterrence. And that’s where we have gone wrong.

The tragedy is some of the people charged with keeping us safe are in bed with criminals. Our Intelligence officers — and they have been blamed before — are in deep slumber.

Some police officers and immigration officers can also be said to be in bed with terrorists.

Just how did this band of international terrorists make their way into Kenya, Nairobi and then Westgate Mall ‘undetected’?

A simple answer would be, they did the same way that Eneke Chimenze alias Anaeke Chimezie, the Nigerian who was been deported alongside Anthony Chinedu, found his way back ‘home’. With money, some say, you can even buy life in Kenya.

In fact, no one understands this Kenyan weakness better than Al Shabaab, and they keep hinting about this in their tweets.

It is an open secret that foreigners, bribe their way into the country, and in the process sneak in weapons. Investigations by KTN, and earlier The Standard, have revealed this.

It is claimed that as long as you can afford the bribe, you have a ticket to cross the country’s borders. With additional coins, you can buy yourself a Kenyan identity card and if you are more ambitious, a Kenyan passport.

Any wonder Kenya is a terrorists’ punching bag?

In the latest attack, it is possible some Kenyans already have wads of notes in their pockets and lots of blood in their hands — the blood of the 60-plus victims. Obviously, they have a seared conscience and, therefore, won’t suffer bouts of guilt.

Ironically, Kenya is more than capable of tackling this menace. If you watched the gallant security officers in action at Westgate Mall, you must have noticed that we have the muscle and firepower to defeat miscreants. It would, however, have been much better if the snake was decapitated before it reached Westgate.

But that doesn’t mean that Kenyan Intelligence officers are not up to the task. Let’s give the devil his due. Recently, they forestalled a major terrorist attack by confiscating huge quantities of bomb-making material allegedly belonging to some Iranians. 

But something is amiss, and if you have read the report of the judicial commission that probed the Tana Delta tribal fighting, you know what I’m talking about. The National Intelligence Service is lax in its work.

We need to instill order in all security offices. Above all, we need to fight corruption that gives foreigners passports to enter and leave the country at will. 

If we cannot address that urgently, we have no business keeping troops in Somalia. Why? Because we will continue winning the war abroad and suffering losses at home.

That is the sad truth.