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SECURITY: Is engagement in Somalia compromising internal security?

Wednesday August 02 2017

A debate meant to give Kenyans an opportunity to assess the suitability of presidential candidates ended in an anti-climax when only four of the eight contenders turned up, with President Uhuru Kenyatta, the Jubilee Party candidate, the notable absentee.

However, the nearly 10 million Kenyans who tuned in for the debates got some pointers from the four candidates led by opposition National Super Alliance flagbearer Raila Odinga on the problems facing the nation and how they would tackle them.

The EastAfrican’s Peter Munaita looks at the 10 issues that have dominated the election campaign but fears that they may not be the deciding factor on who wins on August 8.

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1. COST OF LIVING: Why are prices of unga (maize flour) and sugar out of reach?

2. FOOD SECURITY: Where will the next meal come from?

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3. UNEMPLOYMENT: Where will 12 million jobs come from?

4. CORRUPTION: Who steals $3 billion from the public purse each year?

5. THE ECONOMY: Why is the growth not trickling down to the masses?

6. LAND: How will historical injustices be corrected?

7. SECURITY: Is engagement in Somalia compromising internal security?

Kenya has suffered several terrorist attacks, the most tragic being that at the Garissa University and at the Westgate Mall.

Terror is now a global problem, several European capitals have been hit -- but attention in Kenya has been whether the country is well prepared to tackle it and forestall negative travel advisories that affect tourism and economic growth.

In the two major attacks, the response was quite wanting and led to the appointment of Major General (Rtd) Joseph Nkaissery to the Internal Security docket. He passed on earlier this month.

His appointment and establishment of a clear chain of command among the various disciplined forces was seen as a positive turning point in the war on terror by both the government and the opposition.

The two sides also agree that the main reason why Kenya is a top terror target is because of its involvement in stabilising Somalia. Mobilised in 2009 as a border protection force after Al Shabaab raids on Kenyan territory, killing and abducting tourists and aid workers, the force was then integrated into the UN Mission in Somalia (Amisom).

President Kenyatta insists Kenyan forces will not be withdrawn but Mr Odinga counters that the presence in Somalia has compromised internal security as seen in frequent attacks in Mandera and Lamu as well as deadly cattle rustling in Baringo in the heart of the country.

There have also been questions over whether the war on terror is serving as a front for ethnic profiling of Muslims and Somalis, especially in Mombasa and Eastleigh, a Nairobi suburb nicknamed 'Little Mogadishu' because of its dominant Somali community.

A sideshow to the security debate are opposition claims of plots to rig the election by using the armed forces and the police. On preparedness, the government has largely focused on equipping law enforcement agencies with modern tools to fight insecurity including software and hardware.

It has also spent resources on the welfare of law enforcement officers including housing and insurance. The opposition’s manifesto focuses on peace building among communities while Jubilee is counting on youth empowerment to deter them from being recruited by terrorists and criminal gangs.

In the Ipsos poll, terrorism and crime combined constitute three percent (four per cent in Ipsos) of the respondents who disapprove of the President. In addition, the Infotrak poll shows that 38 per cent of respondents who believe the country is going in the right direction attribute their stance to peace and improved security.

8. CONSTITUTION: Has devolution lived up to expectations?

Devolution, citizen rights, establishment of independent constitutional commissions and clipping of presidential powers by Parliament were the key planks of the Constitution promulgated in 2010. But it is devolution that has proven an acid test.

9. SOVEREIGNTY: Is The Hague, international community meddlesome?

The election of 2013 brought the role of the international community to the fore.... Propaganda masked reality on the matter but it is not in dispute that ICC influenced the outcome of that election.

10. PUBLIC SERVICES: How free is free education, health?

After a painful dalliance with World Bank policies that introduced cost sharing in education, health and agriculture, Kenya has since 2003 made significant steps towards being a welfare state.

NEXT WEEK: The 10 factors that will determine who wins the elections.

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