Corruption, politics and tribalism have neutered our security services

Kenya Defence Forces, who are part of Amison, at Afmadow Military Camp on January 23, 2014. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• For me, the lowest point was realising that the Kenya Defence Force soldiers could steal during a national crisis.
• Recent reports indicate that the charcoal trade, previously controlled by Al-Shabaab, is now in the hands of the KDF and the Ras Kamboni militia.

By RASNA WARAH
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Two of the most consistent questions I am asked when I travel abroad are: “How is the security situation in Kenya?” and “Is Kenya really as corrupt as they say it is?”

 

I usually don’t know how to respond to these questions because admitting that yes, Kenya is insecure and yes, it is corrupt, puts me in the awkward position of having to explain why Eastern Africa’s economic powerhouse is a failing state where the most critical organs of security have been politicised and tribalised and where corruption has become a way of life.

It is not easy admitting to foreigners that you come from a dysfunctional country. It is deeply embarrassing, especially when the foreigner is from a neighbouring country.

Recently, a taxi driver in Dar es Salaam, upon realising I was Kenyan, gave me a lecture on ethics and citizen responsibilities. In his perfect Kiswahili he told me: “Sisi watu wa Tanzania tulishangaa na uchaguzi wenu.”

At a workshop I was attending, an Ethiopian academic shamed his Kenyan and Somali colleagues when he declared: “We Ethiopians have a long and rich history, and we are proud of it. We do not easily sell our heritage or our country for a few shillings, unlike you Kenyans and Somalis.”

In normal circumstances, I might have put up a defence, but I knew that what he was saying was true. Al-Shabaab hates Ethiopia as much as it hates Kenya, yet it would not dare terrorise that country simply because it cannot bribe its way through it, nor are Ethiopian security forces as corruptible as those of Kenya.

COMMIT CRIMES

For me, the lowest point was realising that the Kenya Defence Force soldiers could steal during a national crisis, such as the Westgate terror attack. Like most Kenyans, I wondered: If KDF can commit crimes at the scene of a national tragedy, might it be doing the same — or worse — in Somalia?

Recent reports indicate that the charcoal trade, previously controlled by Al-Shabaab, is now in the hands of the KDF and the Ras Kamboni militia. Was the ultimate aim of the Kenyan government to make money in Somalia, not flush out Al-Shabaab?

Moreover, if the African Union and its funders (mainly the European Union) are aware of this illegal trade, why have they not insisted that the Kenyan forces withdraw from the port of Kismayu? And why doesn’t the United States put a stop to its military assistance to Kenya? What kind of game-playing is going on?

Allegations of shameless bribery and tribalism in the recent police recruitment exercise indicate that we have reached a new low when it comes to corruption in the security services.

NEGATIVE TRENDS

Under the Jubilee government, the security services have become even more corrupt, politicised and tribalised than before. Ironically, these trends are occurring under a new Constitution, which was specifically drafted to ensure key organs of the State, such as ministries and security organs, were depoliticised, detribalised and made more accountable.

As Washington Osiro, a contributor to the Kenyan diaspora blog, Mwakilishi, wrote recently, while it is the prerogative of a President to appoint and surround himself with people he trusts and is comfortable with, it is completely unacceptable when he fails to hold these appointees accountable for their repeated failures.

No senior head has rolled since Westgate, and if things continue as they are, we may never know who the Lamu County attackers were. The real killers may escape while the government heaps blame on the opposition.

* * *

I think it is about time the International Criminal Court held the warmongering Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, to account for the mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza, including during Eid. The attacks on UN schools and other buildings sheltering Palestinians should be considered crimes against humanity.

The Israeli scholar, Mordechai Kedar, should also face trial for hate speech. He told a radio show recently that the only thing that can deter a Palestinian suicide bomber was knowing that, if caught, his sister, mother or wife would be raped by Israeli soldiers.

Only a sick mind can come up with such a strategy.