Morality enhancement, a key
ingredient in terrorism fight
Al-Shabaab terrorism has now
become the theme of most talks across Kenya, following the cold-blood slayings
that befell Garissa University College in about two weeks ago. Go to
churches, mosques, schools, hospitals, and homes. Everywhere!
Terrorism thoughts have occupied the larger part of our brain. It’s quite
a normal thing for good-hearted Kenyans to empathize with the poor families who
lost their members in the barbaric tragedy which the al-Shabaab terror group
took responsibility. Many couldn’t hold
their tears as they tried to fit themselves in the shoes of the victims of the
attack. It has been a traumatizing moment. Though this will often
linger in our minds, I thank the human brain which is capable of reducing the
effect of such incidences as it creates storage space for other incoming
issues.
We have had a voluminous number
of Kenyans including University students intensely criticize the government for
failing to protect Garissa University students during their hour of need.
Indeed, the government failed in that. It has also admitted so. It
was responsible for the slow response to the attack. I totally concur
with the constitution that the government is wholesomely responsible for
ensuring that there is security in the country. The big question that we
should all ask ourselves is- how can we help the government accomplish its role
of securing us? Let us check the law implementers too. Do they obey
orders from the government? Where would we place them if we were to
measure their performance on a scale? Are some working with the
government or acting against it?
What shocked us is that one of
the murderers was just a young Kenyan! Rumour has it that some Garissa
University students aided the militants in hiding their weapons and even had
al-Shabaab flags in their varsity rooms. Immorality is the prerequisite
for all heinous acts! What could really make a person so callous to
an extent of shedding the blood of his fellow? Many Kenyans
have resolved to murder as the only way to finish up a feud. I have never
understood this concept. The murder of an innocent person will
always remain a vice whether the act is religion affiliated or not. Killing innocent people in the name of
fulfilling religious rites is just weird and unfathomable. Security starts with us citizens. Other
citizens shouldn't feel insecure in our presence.
All heads of all levels of the
society are obliged to be role models fit for emulation. Be they
religious, political or even school heads. From time immemorial, we have
had numerous vices including rape cases, murder and the everyday national
concern, corruption in which some leaders have been found guilty of.
People who we have always thought that they would lead us to achieving national
goals are the ones turning out to be victims of vices. Will we ever
accomplish these goals? Over the past weeks, we have had political
leaders raising arms on each other with rage in the name of solving differences
in their ideologies. I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if
these leaders were let loose! When a vice is repeatedly done with no
action against it, it tends to turn into a norm. Youths have already
learnt that application of violence in situations is right. Yeah, it is
the trending solution to all quarrels. Dialogue and consensus is slowly
fading away. We are making our youths vulnerable to recruitment by
sadistic groups. They have become used to viewing actions of violence live so
joining murder groups will not be a hard task for them. They have already
received free training. I can't blame them much. If at all the law
makers can fight, why not them? It is high time Kenyans take it as a
collective responsibility to instill good behaviour in our youths.
Parents are the leaders in homes.
Let them guard their morals plus those of their children. Cases connected
to domestic violence have been flooding our courts. Family members
killing each other has become a routine in some families. This is no
better than the terrorism being executed by al-Shabaab. Terrorism is not
only about mass killing. Of late we have had some cases of men murdering
their entire family and then committing suicide. A father or a
mother inducing fear among members of his or her own family respectively is
also terrorism! What are we really showing our children? We are
unconsciously training them to become future terrorists. Though some kids
do not really acquire bad behaviour from their families, parents should make it
their responsibility to teach good morals to their offsprings. We have to
make them know that murder and other heinous vices are not worth celebration or
heroic. Youths have to realize who they are and their role in nation
building. They have to know that money is earned by working and not by
stealing.
I strongly applaud the head of
NACADA (National Agency for the Campaign against Drug Abuse), Mr. John Mututho
for what he is currently doing. Transforming the lives of youths. Many
young people including high school, university and college students have
drowned in the deadly river of drugs and alcohol. Their systems have been
weakened to an extent that they have to rely on drugs for them to be ‘sober’.
How will such people be alert in case of any emergencies including fire
outbreaks?
The reason behind the massive
recruitment of Kenyan youths to the Al-Shabaab group has to be checked keenly.
Why is it that most of the recruits are of very tender age? They are blindly
being lured into the destructive group since their reasoning capacity is
defective. Not knowing that leaving the group is a taboo worth death
penalty! The Egerton student who was charged with sending terror
messages to the university said that he was doing it for fun. I think he
is just short of morals and doesn’t understand the real meaning of the word
‘fun’. There have been many acts in Kenya worth the name terrorism, which
have been done by some Kenyans who are not al-Shabaab recruits. As we
think of the strategies to fight this common enemy, let us contemplate about
this too.
Churches and mosques in Kenya
should be places of elevating our moral standards. We have to shift from
‘prophetic ministries’ to condemnation of evil in the society. Let the
truth be told; evil deeds have repercussions.
Let us have limits. Let us
uphold the dos and don’ts that will mend our torn society. I am certain
that revising our morals in regard to what our constitution stipulates and the
'benefit to all' notion can be a great way towards subduing this common enemy-
terrorism. There is no Kenyan who will collaborate with the terrorists if
he or she has the love for our country and is morally upright.
