• Terror attacks such as the one in dusitD2 in January have in themselves the potential to damage Kenya in many ways.
Image: FILE
There is no excuse for people to engage in terror acts. Any excuse is as evil as it comes. The key challenge is the growing phenomenon of attraction to terrorism for societies that would hither to be allergic to that behaviour.
Moreover, terrorism has also taken a global shape, and technology has aided in training and spread of evil doctrines or radicalisation of societies or people who would otherwise have not been interested. I’m sure when investigations and intelligence is fully gathered, there will be more shocking revelations than we have already gotten.
Already, some of it as revealed in the media shows some elements of money laundering and misuse of young people lured into negative indoctrination, which is not only self-destructive but also harmful to the entire society.
Terror attacks such as the one in dusitD2 in January have in themselves the potential to damage Kenya in many ways, including destruction of human life and property. They also create risks that could deter business opportunities, which include very sensitive sectors like tourism.
Fortunately the response by Kenyan security forces this time round was swift and effective. Unfortunately it happened that terror was done on Kenyan soil and part of the nexus that aided this was Kenyans with their diversity.
Several financial loopholes were exploited to aid in the act of evil. Moreoverm, it is scary that desperate youths are being used in confused doctrine meant to destroy people and the society to achieve ulterior motives. So what as a country we have to do is obviously deal with terrorism and those who engage or aid it ruthlessly, but also develop multifaceted mechanisms to combat the menace and prevent it from happening again. Terrorism has both local and global inputs and effects. It has social, political, economic and technological contributions into it.
Researched deeply, you will find that what has hit Kenya many times is not simply having a shaky neighbourhood, with Somalia being a troubled nation for many years and harbouring terror group al Shabaab. It is also that global skirmishes and political socioeconomic problems, which find Somalia a safe haven and launching pad for criminal activities in Kenya.
It is not just because Kenyan forces are stabilising Somalia or are seen as an occupying force in the territory there. It is bigger. It has local, regional and global dimensions. It also goes beyond religion. It is a cancer that has grown in the global society that terrorism is being fomented as a result of failures in social, economic and political system and dysfunctional societies.
Similarly, regional and local conditions of political, economic and social nature are creating good avenues for the menace to thrive. Corruption, for instance, is endemic in many Third World countries, Africa, and to be specific, it is a big problem in Kenya.
Corruption has a huge destabilising effect on countries like Kenya, as it denies many the right economic opportunities and aid criminal networks. Corruption has denied Kenya effective pursuit of good policies and programmes, such that economic growth over time has been very limited compared to potential, vis-à-vis the population growth and global challenges.
In effect, unemployment crisis persist in Kenya in a dangerous way. If you combine corruption and unemployment, you have a very lethal concoction that breeds fertile grounds for criminals and all manner of destructive activities.
Thus as we address the menace through cracking hard on the evil networks and development of requisite laws , mechanisms and structures to ruthlessly deal with it, ,apparently we have to weed the grounds that make it easy for such evils to thrive or to occur. Indeed corruption and unemployment are among key risks Kenya and many countries around the globe have to deal with ruthlessly as well. Corruption is an evil fertilizer and unemployment is a provider of potent tools and conduit for evil merchants. Kenya has a date with destiny and some of the problems we experience are deeply political, social and economic. We cannot afford to ignore them at any second. Never. It simply creates a dangerous future. Time is now.
The writer is a political, economic and social analyst and chairman of Consumer Downtown Association