NFD Somali need to take a lesson from Mombasa on how to deal with insecurity

Mandera Senator: Hon. Billow Kerrow
Source:www.kenya-today.com

On Tuesday 7^th July 2015, the country woke up to news of the cold blood murder of 14 people in Soko Mbuzi area in Mandera County by the Alshabab  militia group. An MCA who was interviewed by the BBC said the attackers may have exploited some simmering inter clan conflict in the area to conduct the attack.

Later in the day, leaders from the area were to address a Press Conference in which they blamed the government for the ever deteriorating state of security in the area.

The leaders were led by Senator Billow Kerrow whom I must admit I have too much respect and admiration for especially when it comes to his understanding of public finance matters and his incisive contribution during the government’s budgeting cycle.

However, Senator Kerrow let me down by his lack of understanding of what needs to be done to resolve the insecurity issue in Mandera and the entire NFD.  Senator Kerrow, and other leaders from the area thinks that the dire state of insecurity can only be blamed on the government.

He said that leaders in the area have made recommendations which they have forwarded to the President but unfortunately they are “gathering dust in shelves.” He went on to say that Government is full of excuses over why it could not fully secure the people of the NFD and anybody else who has gone there to try and contribute to the development of the area.

His sentiments reminded me that slightly over a year ago, Mombasa was in the same situation. Murder after murder, raid after raid and people lived in perpetual fear. The situation was dire for everyone and no one knew when the extremists would attack and what government would do to bring the perpetrators to book. Even though the town is not fully out of the woods yet, one can, with a level of certainty say that Mombasa is relatively secure.

The state of security did not improve because Government was able to blast the best guns and hire the best officers with the best investigative skills using the state of the art vehicles and equipment. It only began to change when local leaders realised that when an area is insecure whether we silently support the champion warrior’s action on the victims we are all in it. It is until the leaders and specifically the political leaders started engaging the local people, elders’ women and the youth that the situation subsided.

Mombasa Governor HassanJoho and Mvita MP Abdulswamad Ali were in the forefront of saying no to radicalisation and at a certain point in time people were worried about the boldness at which they condemned the heinous acts.  I cannot remember the number of meetings they held with local people as they dissuaded them from supporting or engaging in violent extremist acts.

For leaders like Senator Kerrow it is quite easy to heap all blame on the government for all its inadequacies.  But then my worry is that Kerrow in not your everyday Tom Dick and Harry but an opinion shaper whose effects of words does not stop after they have been uttered.  I am certain that the people of Mandera County and the larger NFD listen to him and his perceptions towards issues and religiously that is how they see the issues.

My view is state of insecurity affects the local people first before it can affect the foreigners. The foreigners can always go back to where they came from whether in life or death but the long term impact is to those who have nowhere else to go is enormous. If the reports of the schools and medical centres that have closed down for lack of personnel is anything to go by, then you can understand what I am saying.

For this Senator Kerrow and leaders in the NFD need to develop some home grown strategy to address the situation. They also ought to know that communication is everything and I would recommend that leaders make utterances that would really help address the core of the problem rather than keep blaming government.