One month has passed since gunmen stormed the Garissa University College in Garissa, Kenya. There were no massive rallies, with crowds chanting, “Je Suis Garissa,” but perhaps we don’t need massive rallies. What we need are strong institutions. In his 2009 remarks to the Ghanian Parliament, U.S. President Barack Obama said, “We must support strong and sustainable, democratic governments. Africa doesn’t need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.”
On the morning of Thursday, April 2, 2015, the western world awoke to news reports unveiling another terrorist attack. Gunmen loyal to Al-Shabaab shot their way through a quiet university campus, killing students in dormitories where many were still sleeping. By the time the attack was over, 147 innocent lives were brought to an end, and 79 others were wounded in a cowardly effort to terrorize East Africans over Kenya’s support to the African Union and its effort to fight Al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who lost family and friends and those injured and traumatized by this heinous act of terrorism.
Witnessing the aftermath of the 2013 attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, and numerous terrorist incidents in Kenya, Nigeria, Mali and several other locations across Africa, I’ve drawn several conclusions.
Institutions in Africa are very weak and all stakeholders, including the West, should invest in developing strong, sustainable institutions. There is a lack of coordination among AU member States. Member States should consolidate their efforts in the areas of security and intelligence. Without well-planned and well-designed city and town infrastructure in Africa, the ability to tackle terrorism and other crimes will be impossible.
Since 1998, starting with the U.S. Embassy attacks in Kenya and Tanzania, I have witnessed the pain and sorrow associated with the indiscriminate acts perpetrated by amorphous groups and faceless cowards. They believe they can achieve the objectives by using fear, intimidation, scare tactics and the murder of innocent, non-combatant people, including children.
I am still puzzled by the ineffectiveness of institutions in Africa and how weak they remain. My questions: did intelligence agencies have any knowledge of these criminal elements? How easy is it to acquire weapons in Kenya? Did they smuggle their weapons into Kenya? How far is the local police precinct from the school? How long did it take for Kenyan security forces to respond and how many times did they get lost before they arrived at the school? How much does poor city-planning affect communities in Africa in times of emergency? Could a well-designed building with secured entrance and exit points have made a difference? Are stakeholders taking concrete measures to ensure this does not happen again?
Perhaps it’s time the G8 countries, BRICS, development organizations, corporate entities and governments in Africa invest heavily in sustainable infrastructure, including efficient energy resources, water resources, low-income housing, educational infrastructure as well as infrastructure in healthcare, criminal justice, transportation, private-sector and technology.
