The fragile balance of fighting terror and keeping our borders open

Terrorism is about spreading fear and through this, having an impact on societies that is disproportionate to its real power.

So for example, the 9/11 attacks laid the ground for a global war that is still ongoing, two decades later.

While Al-Qaida was a relatively small and weak group, through its mastery of asymmetric warfare it changed the world.

We must remember this lesson in designing our response to the recent terror attacks, and in particular in our border policies, which must combine a ruthlessly tough response with staying true to traditional Kenyan values. If we allow terrorists to define who we are, we let them win.

Countless refugees and asylum seekers from surrounding Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia—and even the DRC—continue to look towards Kenya as a safe haven. These refugees greatly benefit from Kenya’s long and porous borders with Somalia and Ethiopia. The spill-over effect of terrorism which we have been experiencing due to the Somalia-based al-Shabaab’s operations, exploits exactly this openness.

We lost more than 18 citizens, while several others were injured, as the jihadist group attacked a police camp in the Dadaab subcounty as well as the Manda Bay military base. Multiple passenger bus lines in Lamu County and near Wajir were targeted as well. Such tragedies ruptured the period of quiet during which Kenyans were able to take a break from terrorism.

Uhuru has taken his pledge to increase the operational capabilities of Kenyan security forces seriously, and there is no doubt that the frequency and intensity of terror has decreased in recent years. He has to date, successfully handled the pressure that comes with guaranteeing security. This includes native Kenyans as well as our African brothers and sisters fleeing grave circumstances in their home countries.

The challenge of cross-border terrorism is especially difficult to overcome. On the one hand, our border patrol faces the virtually impossible task of securing a 450-mile-long frontier between Kenya and Somalia. On the other hand, even if our borders were completely secure, the network of transnational terror financing cannot, as of yet, be disentangled to an extent that Al-Shabaab would be financially undercut. In October of last year, Kenya’s High Commissioner to the UK, Manoah Esipisu, emphasised that only a regional and international cooperation framework could realistically address this threat.

Indeed, the threat has caused Kenya trouble for many years now. In January earlier that year, 21 people died, and even more were injured in the attack on the DusitD2 hotel complex in Nairobi. 2015 saw the truly disastrous Garissa University attack by Al-Shabaab, killing 148 of our own. Of course, no one can forget the Westgate Mall massacre of 2013 either, in which 70 precious lives were lost.

Such attacks do not signal our weakness or the weakness of our government. Our country is located in a geographic area surrounded by countries that face severe economic regression. This consequently contributes to domestic security instabilities. These circumstances are especially conducive to the proliferation of terrorist activities. Al-Shabaab has taken advantage of the shadows that the inefficacy of Somali governance provides them with.

There is reason to be optimistic though, even in such a threatening climate. Just a few months ago, our police prevented multiple terrorist attacks with the help of an informant. This included an attack that would have targeted the Mashujaa Day celebrations in Mombasa. This came just weeks after terrorists were stopped in Mombasa and Kwale counties by the Anti-Terrorist Police Unit. In fact, the most recent confrontation at the Manda Bay base was countered and concluded in the matter of hours thanks to the increasing efficiency of our security forces.

The President has lived up to a second notable pledge that he first made in 2017 and has since reiterated multiple times. He promised that the infrastructural and various support mechanisms in place to welcome refugees from neighbouring countries would continue to be implemented despite challenges posed.

Welcoming refugees and asylum seekers from neighbouring countries, while Kenya itself is suffering from terrorist attacks, is of course a significant gesture. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, nearly half a million refugees and asylum seekers resided in Kenya in 2019. Over 93% of them are from Somalia, South Sudan, the DRC and Ethiopia. Welcoming refugees in our country, however, does not only serve the immediate purpose of humanitarian action.

As the President underscored, this policy is an integral part of fostering a sense of solidarity among African nations. Such support and investment today will surely be the basis of future long-term cooperation and stability among countries in East Africa. This solidarity is the single most important precondition for permanently eradicating terrorist groups like al-Shabaab.

Mr Mugwang’a, a communications consultant, is a former Crime and Security reporter.