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Effective Security; only through embracing change continually
15th March 2007

  
February 22nd is surely a memorable day. It is the day that scouts and girl guides all over the world commemorate Lord and Lady Powell the founders of these twin movements. Here in Kenya many scouts and guides of varying ages head to Nyeri the resting place of these famous Europeans immigrants. My memories for this day which fell on a Thursday are however for different but related reasons. They are related because I was also by coincidence heading towards Nyeri to attend the final rites of a departed friend.

Upon reaching Thika, the road becomes smooth and friendly particularly up to the end of the dual carriage at a place commonly referred to as Kenol or Makutano  (Kiswahili for convergence place). This is a fast developing town having been made the headquarters of Maragua district recently hived off from the larger Muranga.  But just before getting to kenol, I experienced one of the most memorable episodes in many years. We found a roadblock where each and every vehicle was being stopped for inspection. The operation was being conducted by bullet proofed battle ready policemen and women who were armed to the teeth. Everybody had to stop to avoid the wrath of these ready to shoot law keepers. What I have still not come to terms with is the fact that even after compliance with stopping orders; all vehicle occupants had to alight to facilitate inspection for what I learnt was dangerous weapons.

Surprising, it was my first time ever to be ejected out of the car to allow the police to do duty in such a manner. Ironically, these seemingly hardworking law keepers were checking using bare hands.  There were no detectors of any kind that would confirm presence or absence of firearms beyond reasonable doubt. As an ordinary and patriotic Kenyan, I would only commend these officers for their efforts in doing so much, even without the necessary resources. Out of interest, however, I engaged one of them in a short discussion. I inquired to know why they cannot use modern equipment, for such an important exercise. I reminded them of a firearm detector that had been publicly displayed some years back, which could flush out guns including those hidden in bushes.

The same detector, I believe can facilitate detection of gun powder long before a vehicle passes a police checkpoint. But all that the officer could say is that “there is probably only one such gadget in the country. It is very expensive and would cost in the region ksh 3 million”. In my mind this amount was too little for this gadget that can with precision detect all firearms within reasonable distance. My mind quickly raced to Eastleigh which is reported to be the leading market for illegal arms.  And why not?  It is the first stop or better still the transit route for immigrants from what would qualify to be the banana republic of Somalia. And these visitors I hear carry firearms without much haste as part of their personal belongings.

Unfortunately for us, the visitors easily offload the firearms to ready market certainly for some consideration. In my mind, I imagined that this highly effective firearms detector would not only reveal those arms stacked in vehicles either legally or illegally but also those in the marketplace as explained. There have been so many deaths caused by trigger, happy criminals in our country in the recent past; yet technology is capable of detecting thus disarming these inhuman elements in our society. But it appears that our security tribulations could be attributable to the government’s bureaucratic processes.

Indeed, every activity or inactivity of the government creates an opportunity or threat to doing business or to our own welbeing. It will be recalled that the government failed to act in time to control the occurrence of Rift valley fever despite having knowledge of the patterns of the disease. The result had been recent involuntary conversion of majority of Kenyans to vegetarians. This brought untold suffering to the meat industry which cares for many Kenyans. The same inactivity had brought a golden opportunity to the Kenya Meat Commission, which could not meet customer demands only the first year since re-opening. It is no wonder that the meat factory was intending to franchise its activities so that it can reach the wider market obsessed with meat eating.

But on security should the government not embrace not only new technology but also embark on reforming the rules. Should Kenyans not be allowed to contribute in controlling their own security? I am sure many can invest in the firearm detectors and probably hire them out to security forces. Better still, the government can allow security firms to assist the forces in modernizing technology and at the same time allow them to carry arms. If the current security situation is going to be brought into control for posterity, the Government has no choice but to give into change. It is notable that security is a major drawback on economic development in our country.

Without security, people shy away from investing. We are forced to invest heavily in fortifying our business and domestic premises. We on the other hand continue spending more on insurance and security arrangements with sometimes suspect firms. The security forces meanwhile spend invaluable time and resources chasing dangerous criminals who are continually updating themselves with new technology. How many more investment opportunities are we going to lose as a result of government inactivity on this front? How many more man-hours are we going to lose in police road blocks as these law keepers carry out their duties using out of date weapons or detection methods?

The earlier the reforms of security arrangements are put in place the better for this country. In the meantime, the government needs to institute measures of motivating the security forces for continuing improved performance. They should not just be hunting and eliminating criminals when there is public outcry. It should be a continuing process of putting them in check. It is the only way Kenyans will maintain confidence with their government. Equally, criminals will realize that crime cannot be a long term preoccupation. The end result is more secure operating environment capable of attracting more and more investments.

Newtimes Editor.

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