A grim reality has been unfolding in Kenya, where innocent lives are being lost to the scourge of armed bandits, cattle rustlers, ethnic militia, and terrorists.
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, where the government's presence is largely absent.
President Uhuru Kenyatta cannot abdicate his responsibilities and must order a massive security operation to reclaim land taken over by armed criminals. Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i must set up a command centre to coordinate aggressive responses in affected areas.
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.
Understanding the threat ¶
It is time to acknowledge the dire need for a muscular, merciless response to the terrorists and illegal militia who have taken over parts of the country.
These armed gangs have commercialised cattle raids as a means of sustenance, and it is only through the sternest security measures that we can reclaim half of Kenya from the merchants of death.
Security operations ¶
Security operations will only succeed if fully supported by the communities that bear the brunt of the murderous rampages.
However, politicians in affected regions may spin narratives about their constituents being mistreated by security forces and incite demonstrations and resistance.
These narratives must be ignored, and those who refuse to surrender and lay down their arms must be exterminated with extreme prejudice.
