You are probably looking forward to a juicy steak for dinner tonight. As you salivate, just consider that three little children, might have been killed so that the steak ends up on your plate.
The innocent children were killed on Sunday in Tot, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
The innocent little ones add to the grim statistics of casualties in large swathes of Kenya that have been overrun by all manner of bandits, cattle rustlers, ethnic militia and terrorists.
While our leaders are busy playing politics and looting the public purse dry, outlaws reign supreme in regions where the government has ceased to exist. Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Lamu and Tana River counties make up more than half of Kenya’s total land mass.
That insecurity reigns supreme in that large expanse of territory is a severe indictment of a government that, for decades, has been unable and unwilling to exert itself where needed.
One of the principal roles of government is to guarantee peace and security for each and every person within the boundaries of Kenya. If half the country is surrendered to outlaws who roam and kill with impunity, then the very rationale for existence of government must be called into question.
As long as he is the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta cannot abdicate his responsibilities. He must move with speed and order a massive security operation to reclaim land that has been taken over by all manner of dangerous armed criminals. All those shoving and jostling to succeed President Kenyatta must support the security operation.
In the meantime, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i must set up a command centre to coordinate aggressive responses in the affected areas. If the National Police Service does not have the personnel and resources to take war to the criminals across multiple fronts, then the military should be called in.
The three children, aged 8, 9 and 11, must not be just a grim statistic. They are not just about their grieving families, the community or the village but about a serious threat to national security. None of us can continue suffering the illusion of peace and security when fellow citizens elsewhere are forever at the mercy of armed brigands. If we recognise the national security threat, then no effort must be spared in reclaiming the country.
Gravity of the situation
Calling them rustlers, bandits or warriors might suggest that they are a local problem engaged in traditional cattle raids or ethnic feuds; so, perhaps it is time we realised the gravity of the situation by calling them what they are: Terrorists or illegal militia.
When we understand the threat posed to our very nationhood by these terrorists is when we will acknowledge the dire need for a muscular, merciless response. The criminals must be hunted down and neutralised. Those who refuse to surrender and lay down their arms must be exterminated with extreme prejudice.
Of course, the security operations will only succeed if fully supported by the communities that bear the brunt of the murderous rampages.
And this is where problems might arise, because politicians in the affected regions will be quick to spin narratives about their constituents being mistreated by security forces and to incite demonstrations and resistance.
Illegal militia
They must be ignored, or treated as co-conspirators in the recruitment, funding and arming of illegal militia and terrorists. Indeed, there is evidence that what is being witnessed in parts of the country is not ‘traditional’ cattle rustling or hostilities between neighbouring communities but highly organised mobilisation involving politicians and other leaders.
The armed gangs have become standing armies that can be activated at short notice for political purposes but, meanwhile, have commercialised cattle raids as a means of sustenance. That is how the three children died, and why we must all demand, and support, the sternest security measures necessary to reclaim half of Kenya from the merchants of death.
Of course, we must also expect that the security response, however fierce, will be conducted within the confines of the law, with particular consideration for the dignity and safety of the innocent and scrupulous respect for human rights.
The security teams sent to those areas must not be seen as occupying forces or external aggressors but friends and partners acting only to save law-abiding citizens from armed criminals and to restore safety and security so that all can go about their normal activities without fear.
The children of Tot need to go to school secure in the knowledge that they will get back home safely. BY DAILY NATION