The West is not exaggarting insecurity in Kenya

An article by Muhia Maingi on the Daily Nation July 8 titled ‘West is exarggerating insecurity in Kenya’ posits that the West is exaggerating on the level of insecurity in Kenya. 

Maingi’s argument is that Kenya is secure and that attempts by the West to advise their citizens are misplaced. 

I write to counter this assertion. 

Kenya is insecure. When over 100 people are dying Lamu in less than a month, that is the height of insecurity. When a Russian tourist is shot dead in broad daylight at the precints of the Old Town in Mombasa, that is insecurity. 

Worse, it is the prime of insecurity when the State blatantly ignores warnings on impending terrors attacks, and ionsteads points fingers at politicians when terrorists kill Kenyans in dozens.

Maingi banks on the attendance of the just concluded conference at UNEA to warrant his claim. That 1200 diginitaries drawn from all over the world could converge at Kenya’s Gigiri, and do the whole 3 day meeting unscathed, then Kenya is secure for foreigners, and indeed locals. Nothing can be more fallacious. 

Perhaps Maingi, an employee of the Parliament, should have used his proximity to the State to explain to the world  the variance in security detailling between the attendants of UNEA and the villagers of Poromoko, Mpeketoni, and Tana River, for instance. 

It is important to appreciate that the West is a highly civilized society. Unlike Kenya where the State does not seem to bother when their citizens are exposed, the West is caring. Hence the travel advisories. That is why leaders in the West resign whenever their dockets fail misserably. This culture is not Kenyan.  

To confirm that the West is advising their citizens in good faith, there has been no single incident in which European and Ameriacan governments have come to Kenyan hotels, for instance, ambushing their citizens to board the next mechanically planes home. 

Further, it should be noted that the West has been meaning well for Kenya.  Recently enough, the Kenyan managed an oversubscription on the Euro Bond by investors from the West. Again, the West continues to ensure that our healthcare system is up and kicking. I am not sure what would become of Kenyans, Wanjiku, is the West cuts its funding on healthcare.  

How many more people will have to die in the country under Mungiki, Police, Alshabaab, bandits or MRC so that we learn the state of insecurity in Kenya? 

http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Letters/Kenya-can-t-be-secure-yet-being-killed-daily-/-/440806/2379368/-/7vw8qm/-/index.html