#WeAreOne: Celebrating the Mandera Heroes

The security threat posed by the Alshabaab on Kenya has refused to go away. Every other day, we live with the fear of a new report about an explosive device recovered here or a hijacked passenger bus elsewhere. In each of these instances, the real test has been on whether we as Kenyans would allow ourselves to be divided alongside radical religious lines.

The selfless move by the Muslim passengers in the ill fated bus to shield their Christian counterparts from the Alshabaab bullets is an embodiment of true brotherhood. It is a victory of sorts against the religious propaganda wars waged by the fundamentalist groups. And a refreshing counter narrative for Kenya at this time before the seeds of religious intolerance began to take root.

The Pope’s recent visit to Africa reminded all people that it doesn’t matter what religion you are in. The most important thing for us is to keep our humanity. To maintain true brotherhood and to have great love and compassion to our neighbours.

The Alshabaab are a politically disgruntled lot that has opted to use religious allegiance to sow discord amongst nations and to further play god in deciding who deserves to live or die. The rate at which fellow innocent human beings are losing their lives, all in the name of making a political statement is sickening. And the whole world needs to borrow a leaf from the #ManderaHeroes on the need for uniting as one against terrorism.

Terrorist activities are in no way meant to benefit the Muslim religion either. Examples of countries that have experienced untold strife as a result of these fundamentalists are largely dominated by Muslim populations. Countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran are not predominantly Christian. Terrorism therefore is not Islamic in nature, and hence the need to rise up and unite against its perpetuation.

It is close to a year now since the Garissa University attacks which left families of more than 147 victims devastated. The #ManderaHeroes have greatly contributed to a change in that narrative. Today, we can hope again. Today we can look at each other United as victims of a war we never asked for. And because of that, we can choose to overlook religious differences as a determinant of who lives and who doesn’t.

The media should gobble down this story like never before. We now have a new lease of life against terrorism. A new narrative behind which we can renew the call for brotherhood and nationalism. As a country, we are grappling with a number of economic and governance issues, but we should not let religious intolerance find its way to that list. And even as we struggle for survival in these harsh economic times, let’s keep reminding these terrorists that indeed, #WeAreOne.

Ooko Victor

Muslims Should Openly Denounce and Fight Terrorism.

Kenya is a secular state. No religion can therefore claim monopoly over the nation and it’s systems. Christians are more than Muslims, yet they are not any more Kenyan than the Muslims are. We are all children of Kenya.

There may have been historical injustices, unequal distribution of resources and outright disregard to the plight of particular regions of the country. Yet we are far much better off than we were ten years ago. We have a new constitution. We have increased representation. We gave devolved governments. The common man’s plight can finally be listened to.

Today, Kenya finds itself where it was close to 17 years ago. The year was 1998 and the scar though healed, is hardly forgotten. Then there was the Kikambala bombings, and much more recently, the Westgate, Mpeketoni, and Garissa massacres. All having the hallmarks of religious chauvinism and faith based intolerance.

What is disturbing is the great silence from our Muslim brothers and sisters. Why when your friends, neighbors, colleagues and even fellow Kenyans are being butchered? Is Allah really a reflection of the fundamentalist foot soldiers that kill, butcher and maim in his name?

Never have I seen Muslim activists take to the streets to protest these killings! Yet when Sharia laws were being reconsidered, there was disquiet. Or does Sharia law allow this heinous murder of innocent civilians just minding their business?

Where is your anger, my Muslim brother, on seeing all those gory images splashed on social media in the name of Allah and Islam? Where is your loud reaction of pain and disgust? Or do you enjoy it when others die while you walk scot-free for being able to recite the ‘Shahada’? Where is your humanity?

If it were the other way round, I would not have sat down to see anyone persecuted for their faith. This is not just terrorism. This is persecution. This is the crudest form of advancing religious ideology!

It is good that Hon. Duale finally saw the need to crack the whip on Alshabaab financiers and sympathizers. It is even more sad if he knew that these people existed all along. All through Westgate, all through Mpeketoni and now Garissa.

I want to be able to trust my Muslim colleagues. Just as I want to see them vent their anger via social media. I want to see them pray for the victims of Alshabaab in their Mosques. I want them to organize forums with other religions to reiterate their stand on freedom of religion.

If none of these happens, and after every attack you are continually spared, then you lack a conscience. How else can I explain the fact that in 5 daily prayer sessions one cannot find time for a Christian friend under persecution?

And worse still, how can someone who prays 5 times a day still find time in between to help in the senseless killing of Students just out to study?

My questions are numerous. Yet desperation drives me to ask them. Type your response. Or write an article to respond to this. I just need to get your opinion on this.

@Ookoscope on Twitter
Email – victorooko@gmail.com

A Government of Condolences?~Reminiscing the Garissa Attack

Is the Kenyan Government nothing short of a scavenger that only comes to count and mourn the dead? Are Kenyans at all safe? Does the Kenyan Government really have an idea what they are up to in matters security?

These are the questions on the minds of numerous Kenyans today. From #WestgateMallAttack to #MpeketoniAttacks and now it is #GarissaAttacks. Sandwiched in between is the Thika Road blasts and the list is endless. And what does the government offer in return? Empty reassurances and messages of condolences. We bury our dead and the cycle continues.

The police force is unable to ensure security in the country. And so is the entire ministry that has seen its fair share of sackings and resignations. Only that the new players play under the same defunct conditions. The system is not working. No matter who is at the helm of the chain.

Joseph Ole Lenku was clueless. Yet Joseph Nkaisserry is not proving to be any better. Yes, the tough talk seems a little bit more convincing; but that’s just it, convincing. The actions or inaction continue to haunt us several months later.

The sequence is the same. Foreign countries; Britain, America, France or Germany issue travel advisories; President Uhuru Kenyatta rubbishes these insinuations as baseless, reiterating just how safe Kenya is; then BOOM! Alshabaab strikes at exactly one of the areas mentioned as the basis for travel advisories.

When Kenyan Security Agencies claim to be on high alert, it must be in relation to collecting bribes by the roadsides! Since their efficiency is hardly noted. Either that or they intentionally stay away from loud gunshots until guns run out of bullets. A very costly tactic indeed!

At this rate, Mr. President, there may be no more Kenyans for you to govern. That is unless you are serious on our security.

The 147 souls lost in the hands of terrorists were breadwinners; parents and the youth. Bright young minds out to pursue their education with the goal of transforming the lives of the societies in which they reside. A price they paid for so dearly!

It is apparent that the most concerned persons about the state of Insecurity are the General Public. We don’t have bodyguards, unlike the president and the political elite. They are protected with the best of officers who should be out there protecting the country and its citizens. How can they understand the pains of the family of Miss. Janet Akinyi, terminated for being a non-Muslim student in Garissa?

The President has once again issued a tearful message of condolence. Seems like this is what the government is best in. Putting on a forlorn face before the cameras and blurting out their #RESTINPEACE phrases. Then the shift focuses on the Opposition and the game of musical chairs continues.

Ooko Victor

Enough with the Words; Actions Please!

The Interior CS yesterday grabbed the headlines with his blatant allegations naming the opposition CORD coalition as being behind the recent spate of attacks and terrorist activities in the country! Whether it is another case of heated rhetoric or the results of a careful and comprehensive investigation is yet to be revealed. This more brave and direct attack in comparison to President Uhuru’s assertion that blanketly laid the blame on ‘political leaders’ leaving pundits to draw conclusions for themselves is the latest twist following the Mpeketoni attacks close to a week ago in which more than 60 people were killed and property of great value destroyed. The Mpeketoni attacks has further given fresh impetus to the tribalism debate that has for long been an underlying factor in shaping political ideology and waging support.

The CS claimed that the opposition was using Mungiki, MRC and Alshabaab operatives to cause chaos and depict the government as unable to govern the nation. Such claims have serious weight and especially coming from a cabinet secretary; a person appointed to expertly coordinate and ensure the security of every single person in the country; citizens and visitors. As much I may not agree with the decision by CORD insisting on their rallies; their activities are well within the constitutional thresholds and so is the government and especially the Police in giving them the green light. What then is the fault by the CORD brigade that elicit such outbursts from the outspoken CS? Is he powerless in a docket deemed most powerful in the country? Is his own house not in order as to provide a single and justified direction for the country to follow?

The Director of Public Prosecutions listed nineteen politicians from across the political divide to record statements over hates speech and the prosecution over the same have begun. The Inspector General of police on the other hand ordered ‘unknown leaders’ from North Eastern Kenya to record statements over the clashes in their respective areas! The law charges specific people, not groups. Judges hand sentence to individuals. Just like Keriako, the IG needs to address individuals; hoping that he is acting on intelligence collected and not hearsay! The police need to step up their game. If Raila is killing Kenyans then he should be jailed! The same applies to Kalonzo Musyoka or Moses Wetangula! No tribe was taken to The Hague; specific leaders were! Ole Lenku definitely knows that!

Evidence of the opposition coordinating with either the Mungiki or MRC or even Alshabaab should be availed. The whole country awaits and highly welcomes such course of action. In fact, only the sitting president is immune from prosecution while in office. Everyone else is bound by the laws of the land. We need to know if Raila is destroying the same Kenya he helped build; Or whether all this is a well-orchestrated government propaganda aimed at covering for their deficiencies in guaranteeing Kenya and Kenyans their security.

Enough said; Action please!

Ooko Victor.

Islamophobia?-Who Is To Blame?

Westgate terror attack

The country is slowly waking up to the realization that we are not one. That fear ultimately breaks even those who seemed invincible. From the 1998 bomblast attack on the US Embassy building to date, the fingers have continually been pointed at the Islamic fundamentalists who put their entire belief on the interpretation that jihad means waging war against all who are non-Islamic. Enter 2014 and the attacks on innocent Kenyans just seem to increase. The nation that once stood united in the fight against colonialism is slowly succumbing to the very tune of current oppression; Ideological oppression. This is the type of load that ultimately breaks the camel’s back. And the once astute camel called Kenya seems to have had enough. This is by no means an article celebrating the sad developments.

Several incidences of non-Muslim commuters alighting from vehicles as soon as their Muslim counterparts board the same vehicles have been reported in various parts of the Capital, Nairobi. With the Thika road blasts that saw 3 people killed and close to 80 innocent civilians injured, the situation is slowly becoming desperate. Kenya is a nation that has for long preached tolerance and the fact that it composes of 42 different ethnic tribes would just be one of the reasons that necessitated the call. This tolerance is under scrutiny. Only the government can save us from this latest surge of fear and desperation. A people who do not trust each other have nothing uniting them to warrant them being branded a nation. It really should not have turned out this way, yet whom can you blame?

Grenade attacks

It goes without saying that any person of Somali origin currently qualifies as a suspect in the eyes of the public. That has so far been the only consistent report coming out of the media and government spokespersons. Islamic origin. Tell that to a mother desperate to ensure her daughters travel safe to school and she will definitely instruct her daughters to exercise caution in their profiling of fellow commuters. Do new blame the mother for ‘exercising caution’? The question that the current situation begs therefore is that ‘Which Muslim is the terrorist?’ And in the incapability to effectively determine who is and who is not then every Muslim becomes suspect.

The reactions to this turn of events have of course been nothing but shocking! In fact, many others have condemned such intolerance! But how can you blame them for fearing for their lives? Death is certain but never courted, at least not this way! Yet to the innocent Muslim majority this is humiliating! It would have been for me so I must identify with those who have had to go through this. Once we would never have had this conversation, yet now we must. Why? As a way to talk each other through our fears and devise a way to compromise. As a way to inculcate understanding where there is none.

The saddest thing about all this however is that the perpetrator; the terrorist is getting exactly what they wanted. The doubt of a fellow citizen and the urge to profile then avoid e fellow Kenyan. When that Muslim brother or sister sees the queer glances and disapproving looks that ultimately get the debate rolling on the national level; it is the terrorist that gains. And yes so far they have played into our fears and they’re winning. Look at the situation in Northern Nigeria and you will understand just how far this agenda could be pushed. We should not wait to get to that point!

Are all Muslims terrorists? No. I have known and lived among Muslims who live up to the ideals of Islam that I grew up knowing; peace. And none of that is depicted by the current loss of lives and wanton destruction of property that these terrorist call jihad. However, few others will have the patience to look beyond what the eyes witness and the ears hear. The government’s game plan is simply not working. It’s time a different plan was adopted. One that guarantees the public that they are safe on the roads as long as they stick to the traffic regulations. One that assures them that if they do not reach their destinations, then it will not be because some pervert decided to blow their brains out and take them along to their graves. As long as that assurance is not forthcoming, then fear will drive our people against each other.

Ooko Victor