A case of two Norths

Was a hash tag partly responsible for bringing an end to the tenure of Kenya’s top police chiefs this last week? Or were two terrorism incidents coming one week after another to blame for this?

In an unprecedented move, Kenya’s Inspector General of Police ‘retired’ this week after 36 quarry workers were killed by Al Shabaab gunmen in Mandera district. The President accepted his resignation and also dropped Joseph Ole Lenku, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Co-ordination of the National Government.

President Uhuru Kenyatta was under pressure – the Mandera killings came barely seven days after terrorists killed 28 people in a bus travelling from Mandera district. That was the same day that a suicide bomber killed at least six people in Maiduguri in Northern Nigeria and injured twenty others.

All the victims in the Mandera incidents were non-Muslim. The terrorists picked them out from the group, separated them and then shot them in the head.

In Nigeria, more than 100 people were killed after a mosque was bombed in Kano, in what is seen as hallmarks of a Boko Haram onslaught. Areas of worship have not been spared in the spate of bloody killings that brought a new twist to the group’s activities.

In addressing the nation, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta said the ultimate aim of this atrocious campaign is to establish an extremist caliphate in our region. He urged the nation to decide on whose side they would be on – that of an open and free Kenya that respects the rule of law, sanctity of a nation and freedom of worship. The flipside was to stand with the repressive, murderous and intolerant extremists.

Al Shabaab have never quite come forth to declare their desire to establish an Islamic Caliphate in Northern Kenya, at least not quite the way Boko Haram has repeatedly done through their videos and deplorable actions.

After the bus incident, Kenyan citizens took to the streets in a demonstration organized by the Twitter brigade #KOT and led by activist Boniface Mwangi demanding accountability for insecurity in the country.

The hastag #Tumechoka, Swahili for ‘We are Tired’ – and #OccupyHarambeeAvenue demanded that the buck had to stop with the President.

The hastag #BringBackOurGirls coined by Obiageli Ezekwesili gained prominence in April after the kidnapping of the Chibok girls and has been a rallying call to get security agencies to rescue the missing schoolgirls.

Both Mwangi and Ezekwesili were last month honoured by magazine New African as one of 100 Most Influential Africans of 2014.

It is a case of two Norths – Kenya and Nigeria’s that have over the years been affected by callous activities of Islamist insurgents that have left citizens of a country in fear and often divided on religious ties.

Their nearness to borders that harbor the terrorists remains a huge headache for security agencies to deal with. It is not the cream of the crop that are sent to deal with this menace, but often newly recruited soldiers, until things get really bad. Add to this the monster that is corruption that will let in a few loose canons for a mere pittance, thus selling the country’s security for a song.

Both countries will require more than just hashtags to bring about real change in dealing with insecurity.

Kenya’s North is mostly inhabited by ethnic Somalis who rely on livestock production for their livelihood. Being a semi-arid area, the sporadic rainfall and severe drought patterns has often hampered this trade while crops rarely grow in the area.

Nigeria’s North, made up of predominantly Muslim communities, is the country’s grain and livestock epicenter. Many other States, particularly Lagos, rely on food from the North for sustenance.

It is not lost that both North’s feel marginalized from the rest of the nation in distribution of resources and development.

Nigeria is two months away from a national election and the issue of religion will play heavily in every voters mind. How the candidates tilt the religious balance, particularly for the top seat, will be a determinant as to how popular they will be come February 2015.

Despite the attacks, Nigeria and Kenya have enjoyed economic stability for several years.

An article from the Financial Times only this week quoted Michael Power, an Investec Strategist as saying that Kenya, not Nigeria, was best positioned to leap into an accelerated phase of economic growth where industrialization powers job creation.

That he was speaking at a conference in Nigeria, is telling, perhaps even undiplomatic, where he made a case for Kenya’s diverse economic sector and its powerful local brands.

Nigeria catapulted to the top as Africa’s biggest economy this year elbowing out South Africa after it rebased its GDP.

The global effects of terrorism for both nations is that their tourism, economic and general well-being will continue to be severely hampered if nothing is done to curb this menace now.

An email doing the rounds commends Australian PM Julia Gillard for demanding that Muslims who are demanding Sharia law in her country adhere to the laws of the land or else feel free to pack up and leave. While citing her respect for freedom of worship within their homes, she made it clear that her nation would not have its hands tied by demands of Islamists.

It is time for the leaders in these two Norths to come forth and make bold declarations that will call for sobriety in thinking, yet leave its people feeling secure within their own country.

Anne Mucheke is a Kenyan Communications Practitioner living in Lagos. She keeps home and is interested in the arts, people and reporting of politics.