Insecurity and threats of terrorism are a global distress and Kenya is no stranger to terrorist attacks. The sovereignty of a country is largely determined by its capacity to safeguard its citizens and resources against attack.
In their last annual meeting in Addis Ababa, African Union leaders in a sideline mini-summit on peace and security in Eastern DR Congo termed armed conflict, violence, terrorism and food crisis the critical challenges affecting the region.
Kenya is currently on high security alert. Since January, the United States has twice issued security alerts warning its citizens and Kenyans to be more vigilant on the possibilities of terror attacks. The French, German and Dutch embassies have equally done so. They have all warned their nationals of a real risk of places frequented by foreigners, as targets for terror attacks.
In a recent report released by the Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies, there was an increase in terror attacks in Kenya from 51 in 2021 to 77 cases in 2022.
The government needs to champion the Whole Society Approach in addressing insecurity and terrorism where communities, local civil society organisations and local security apparatus work together to root out militants living within the community and make it easy to share information.
The rising levels of insecurity and anti-national activities pose a weighty challenge to national rules and regulations and human rights and have a significant negative impact on the economy, affecting price, output, employment, trade balance, poverty, inequality, defence expenditure, government budget patterns and the sociopolitical environment.
State agencies and key players need to move away from a hard-based approach in accepting voluntary radicalised and violent extremist returnees. At more than 15 per cent, youth join groups more for economic than religious reasons.
Those joining for radical reasons tend to have suffered atrocities from other religious groups, the government or history. They may have grievances with society and are bitter about something. They see the world as unjust to them.
The impunity that characterises the administrative life of society makes them hostile to public and private institutions. Streamlining access to opportunities is a governance and policy issue worth considering and enforcing.
All governments have an obligation to embody international human rights law in their domestic legislation, but many have failed to do this adequately. The human-rights approach encourages social dialogue with the rights to empower citizens and state and non-state actors as well as strengthening the capacity of duty bearers without causing collateral damages.
It focuses on participation, accountability, non-discrimination and equality, empowerment and legal structures in design for a win-win situation.
Terrorism reduces the capital stock of a country by destroying human and physical capital. The risk and uncertainty effect associated with rising levels of insecurity causes Foreign Direct Investments to be redirected away from countries with higher security risk and toward countries with lower risk. It reduces investment returns, reducing a developing country's capacity to attract foreign direct and portfolio investments.
Let the government magnify its efforts and move with speed to tame the rising insecurity, the insurgency of the militia groups and the upscale of illegal firearms in circulation. By and large, let us move away from politicising state security agencies.
Governments have national security structures with reporting mechanisms from grassroots to apex. Endeavouring to establish parallel systems through “hand-outs” and “tokenism” to the youth is toxic and a grim yardstick.
To combat terrorism, increased government spending on security may crowd out more growth-enhancing public and private investments in social sectors such as health and education, affecting a country's long-term growth.
The contemporary multi-sectoral attempts in fighting banditry, prevention and countering radicalisation and violent extremism with respect to human rights by state security agencies, the Office of Director Public Prosecutions, the National Counter Terrorism Center and few civil society organisations are estimable and deserve support from social partners alike.
Their approach emphasises the inclusivity of public participation for a seamless and soft-approach to ensure access to justice, adherence to human rights procedures and social security to actors.
The risk and uncertainty effect associated with rising levels of insecurity causes Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) to be redirected away from countries with higher security risk and toward countries with lower risk. Increased levels of insecurity reduce investment returns, reducing a developing country's capacity to attract foreign direct and portfolio investments.
Terrorist activities create economic risks and uncertainties that distort resource allocation within a country by influencing individuals' savings, investment and consumption behaviour.
They stifle growth by increasing the cost of doing business through higher wages, higher insurance premiums and increased security expenditures. These higher costs result in lower profits and as a result, a lower return on investment. They devastate infrastructure, causing business disruptions.
Post-election tension is fast bulging with divisive ethnicity and hatred taking shape. This is an unhealthy threat to local and external potential investors.
Everyone should join the call for national unity and cohesion. Electoral-related challenges should be addressed soberly devoid of ultimatums and predetermined agenda and projections. The sponsors of militia groups and actual perpetrators of socioeconomic and political hooliganism should be held accountable to avert the extremes.
Kenyans should not be gullible and partakers of malpractices at the dangle of a carrot but be more enlightened to embrace and respect constitutional offices. The sad effects of the disputed 2007 general election and the subsequent violence that resulted in huge socioeconomic and political setbacks should not be forgotten.
Leaders should tread carefully and avoid utterances that can spontaneously sow seeds of division along religious, tribal, race and class lines. Faith-based organisations and central stakeholders such as the media, NCIC, political parties, unions, associations, civil society, and youth groups should take a lead role in positively fostering unity and cohesion for the stability of the nation.
The fight against insecurity, violent extremism and radicalisation needs collective efforts. This is a governance problem that requires a governance solution.
Founder, Integrated Development Network. [email protected]
