Educate Kenyans and their sportsmen on doping.

A marathon has no half –times, no time outs and no substitutes. It must be must be the only true sport! Kenyan athletes have conquered the world by easily setting and breaking world records when it comes to long distance races. A combination of hard work, talent, mursik and the benefit of high altitude have favoured our athletes to win the races. We have now a number of high altitude training camp in Iten where athletes from all over the world train. Sadly, we have started reading about involvement by our athletes in this ‘’sports vice’’ called doping the other day.

 Doping did not start yesterday; it has been with us since the days of ancient Greece. Perhaps what has changed only is the level of sophistication as noted by Matthew Hard his paper titled Caught in the net: Athletes’ Rights and the World Anti-doping Agency. Where he states that ‘’...the evolution of doping substances and techniques has been tremendous. What began as “cocktails” comprised of heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and nitroglycerin, has evolved to designer steroids, gene therapy, and sophisticated masking techniques. The rise of doping coincided with pharmaceutical developments following the Second World War.52 Athletes soon discovered the physical benefits of substances originally intended for restorative medical purposes, such as human growth hormone (“HGH,” used to treat patients with deficient pituitary glands and lacking growth hormone) and erythropoetin (“EPO,” used to treat kidney disease and anaemia). Athletes weighed the potential impact a substance may have had on health against the impact it would have had on performance and made a calculated decision.’’

Though doping is as old the sports it is associated with, we remain ignorant about it as a nation. To begin with, most of our sports men and women do not even know what they are entitled to when they sign contracts with different clubs they play for or their sponsors. They always end up getting a raw deal. As a country we also do not care much about our sports heroes. A combination of these factors becomes a toxic mix when doping is thrown in. The implications of doping are far reaching. We have witnessed our athletes suffer the ban silently, forgotten. A red card in most sports is devastating enough for any sports man or woman. Being banned from any competition for two years because of doping for any sportsman or woman is a death sentence. It gets worse due to being branded a cheat especially if the sportsman or woman had no knowledge of what she ingested or was injected with. Things get even more difficult where millions of money is lost in sponsorship and endorsement deals. Most of the sponsors do not want to associate with such sportsmen or women.

Unfortunately, their agents, coaches or doctors who might have lured them to ingest or inject banned substances are let off the hook. This cannot be ruled our especially with the huge money the races attract nowadays. Yet the ministry of sports and the various sports federations who are supposed to work together to educate Kenyans about doping and its implications in sports are only interested in making a quick buck at the expense of the sportsmen and women. To date no robust attempts have been made especially by the concerned ministry to address this issue apart from forming a task force which came up with a report whose veracity has already been questioned in several forums. However, the Anti-doping task Force led by Prof Moni Wekesa is a good starting step in the right direction. Notably the bill it proposed to deal with doping is something I hope all the parties concerned will fine tune and ensure it is enacted into law soonest for the benefit of our sports  and the country at large.

TRAGEDY OF THE KENYAN NARRATIVE.

                     

We have been told on numerous occasions that we need a new Kenyan narrative. I agree. It is not in doubt that we need a new Kenyan story. What is in doubt is the sincerity of the different speakers who have told us this. Their candidness is in doubt because of the timing and their reasons for the call for a new story. The call is mostly made when we are undergoing a national crisis and the nation is perceived as divided between the tribes of the protagonists. The people calling for a narrative are usually supporting either of the two sides. The speakers never tell us what the old story is all about and why we need to discard it or edit it. The speakers also have never told us who is supposed to tell this narrative. The net effect then is that a very legitimate concern is left unaddressed and treated as useless political rhetoric.

 The argument has always been that we have heard the same false story as a nation for far too long. A false tale reminding us that we are one nation of peace, love and unity where we have equal opportunities. A false tale that diagnoses ethnicity as the disease that is killing us when in fact it is the diagnosis itself that is the disease. What is the true Kenyan story then? Who needs to tell it? Do we need a new story? These are simple questions and there is the risk of oversimplification when answering them in an article like this.

We had a Kenyan story before the colonialists arrived. They found us with our story and since they did not understand it, they recreated it and used it to subjugate us and see us through their colonial prejudices. Later when they went away, our forefathers forgot to tell us our story and told us what the colonialists had forced down our throats. We believed our forefathers and with the excitement because of the new found independence we were not vigilant enough to reread it and demand for our authentic story.

The story we have now is being narrated by bigoted politicians not wananchi.They have simply rewritten the fake story our forefathers told us.The plot and characters have changed and new themes included with the earlier ones being amplified and some deleted. The politicians tell the story depending on the prevailing political climate of the day. What we have is not even a story but ramblings which should excite the silly only.What we have is a tale of ‘’ us’’ versus ‘’them’’ when a story should only have us.We have ‘’us’’ and ‘’them’’ yet the story does not tell us who ‘’them’’ and ‘’us’’ are. The tragedy is that we have all swallowed the bait because we are a servile, unquestioning people like the characters in the fake story we are told. More tragic is that we are aware that the story is false and we need a new true story but we are not willing to write the new story.

However, after we get the true new story we must also ask if the audience will be ready to listen.We are need of a compelling story if we want the audience to listen. Compelling means all of us can share in its joy and sadness and can see ourselves in the story.Compelling because it connects with our emotions as a nation.Compelling because we can see our values in the story.Compelling because it is an authentic story that binds as even as it recognise our differences.Compelling because we know the story will be retold to our children without changing the plot and the themes to suit the story teller of the time.

 

                               Let us all Care for the Disabled in the Society.     

   This is what Justice David Majanja said in his judgment in the case of Paul AnupPkiach &Another versus Attorney General & Another (2012) eKLR: ’’The current physical structure of the Milimani Law courts is such that it is a hindrance to justice seekers owing to the physical barriers that make it a herculean task for persons with disabilities to access the courts. Some of the problems recognized are as follows; Access to the Entry Lobby of the Building is restrictive to people with wheel chairs since there is a step to the reception area. The witness boxes in various courts are raised by a platform of 200mm from the general floor which makes it difficult for the physically challenged particularly those on wheel chairs to access the stand. The parking bays are set at a lower level to the general ground which poses a challenge to move to the raised ground over the concrete kerb stone. Some of the entrances to the court rooms are not wide enough for wheel chair.’’ I do not know whether the situation at Milimani law courts has now been rectified. However, what I know is that what the judge said is reflected in various court buildings across the country.

It is ironical that the judiciary is in the forefront in violating the rights of the disabled.However, the judiciary need not worry as it has the company of fellow violators across the society. We have seen many county governments spent billions to buy ambulances for hospitals in their counties. Anyone will agree that is a good thing. Yet a visit to these hospitals will tell you that they cannot be accessed by someone on a wheel chair or blind because of the design of the building and lack of signage in Braille. I can confidently say all Public service vehicles cannot be accessed by the disabled in society yet the relevant stakeholders like the Matatu Owners association are only concerned about pimping their matatus and fussing over the cashless payment system.

We celebrate the innovation of mobile money transfer services but we do not care or ask why there are no subsidized screen readers for the blind. Yet we know that the service providers will not make losses because they have invested in these subsidized screen readers. The disabled are still unable to access the ATM s of many banks across the country even as the banks pride themselves in being the best.

As we prepare for the digital migration we have witnessed concerned television station fight to protect their investments worth of billions. They have every right to do so. However, it should not be forgotten that apart from the national broadcaster, only one of the stations has sign language interpretation during newscast and the airing of programmes of national importance.

Making profit should not be our only business. We should stop the avarice and care about the vulnerable amongst us. It is not enough to say we have employed the disabled in our companies and the different government ministries. It is not enough for the government to say thirty percent of government contracts are for the disabled. Just like it is useless for most companies and the government to call themselves equal opportunity employers when their websites cannot be accessed by blind people. Let us all play our part.

                                    STOP THESE IRRESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERS.

The easier access to licensed guns by the rich and influential means that the misuse of guns among Kenyans who own firearms is now frequent. Stories of politicians or celebrities who draw their guns in public at the slightest provocation are a constant feature in our news now, what our reporters call ‘’gun drama’’. Recently I learnt that we have a Gun Owners Association. The Association was complaining about the rising levels of guns misuse by its members.What is fascinating is that all the actors in the gun drama have been men. I do not know the reason for the increasing love for guns by Kenyan men and whether it is a good or a bad thing.





Naturally every man has a duty to protect his family or loved ones.Thus, depending on where a man is placed on the social stratum, he will either choose a gun, spear or knife for protection. Those high up on the ladder go for the guns. One would therefore imagine that a gun should be used to protect oneself from imminent danger, when it is absolutely necessary. Since guns are supposed to protect the gun owners and others from harm, it is expected that they will have an added level of responsibility and alertness at all times and be humble. Just like we are told that those who are trained in the martial arts are calm, disciplined men and women who do not throw kicks anywhere, anytime and at anyone. But this is not what is happening in Kenya today. It is almost as if we are competing to show off who has a gun and how fast he can pull the trigger. There are many explanations for this but I think the main reason is selfishness by the attention –seeking gun owners.

This has been aptly captured by Tom Matlackin his article  Men and Guns: An Affinity for Steel (http://www.goodmenproject.com )when he says ‘’Over emphasis on self-protection insidiously turns into self-projection. Guns are sometimes wielded by the untrained to make a statement about personal power or invulnerability—and when I say untrained, I mean untrained in moral values—and this can lead to inappropriate use of them. We see the phenomenon in MMA as well. Martial arts, which was also designed as a set of self- and others’-protection skills, has become more about proving personal toughness or manliness—or even womanliness. But the problem is not the gun or the martial arts skills, the problem is values. 

Perhaps growing up being fed on violence is another explanation as to why there is more aggression and the need to draw a gun easily and shoot without flinching. We have seen so much violence on television and the internet and we now have to practice what we have been fed on. We are products of a violent society. There is need therefore need to regulate what our young children watch and access on the internet. 

We also need to bring up our young men to be less angry at themselves and at the society at all times. Frustrated and angry, these young men can do damage within a minimal amount of time with more serious and lethal firepower. We should teach them to lose the egos and walk away from trouble, fighting only as the last resort.Humility, will not make them lesser men, they must be told. Otherwise they will grow up into emasculated men we are now reading about in the newspapers who will draw guns because a hapless matatu tout flipped the bird at them. The new culture of self-promotion and winning every ‘’fight’’ is what is driving our men to the kind of behavior we are witnessing. This will change if we bring up our boys up to be men of valor without necessarily being aggressive.

PAY CUT BY PRESIDENT WAS OF MORAL, NOT ECONOMICAL VALUE TO KENYANS.

 

Politicians in this country love retreating to expensive hotels to strategise and come up with solutions whenever they are facing a crisis or the country is facing one. The serene locations seem to work magic and they always come up with long-lasting solutions. The bill is footed by mwananchi but that is immaterial considering the accruing benefits for her and future generations.

The president, in line with this tradition announced from the immaculate lawns of the Mount Kenya Safari Lodge that he had taken a pay cut, together with his deputy and the rest of the cabinet. This definitely is supposed to be big news in this country.Uhuru’s is the first government to be that sensitive to the needs of its people. That for sure will go down in Kenyan history as the first ever selfless act by a sitting president with his lean cabinet. Our avaricious MPs must be in utter shock right now. They know that the sensible thing to do under the current hard economic conditions is to jump at any opportunity to increase their salaries.

 

The president must be thanked for that act of kindness, but again we know Kenyans are very thankless and will quickly dismiss the move as populist. They will question it as they have already done and say that he must tackle the real problems facing the country. Some good for nothing politicians have already warned us that the move is a precursor to slash the salaries of other low –paid,poor,hardworking, civil servants who instead deserve a pay rise. They have pointed out that the government must address and tackle what exactly is causing house rent,matatu fare,petrol,unga,bread and milk to be unaffordable by most Kenyans.The president does not like noise,and soon he will issue a statement saying it must stop just like he said on the allegations that standard gauge railway  contract was riddled with corruption. I am afraid these good for nothing politicians and thankless Kenyans have some point despite the noise they are making 

 

They are right because the president seems to be simplistic in his approach in tackling the economic problems that are facing Kenyans at the moment. The approach by the president suggests that a pay cut will translate into employment, affordable housing, and health care etc. At the risk of contradicting myself, I must state that having a pay cuts is just a moral thing to do. It is immoral to earn that kind of salary when other Kenyans are barely surviving.Therefore that will only go a long way in salving the conscience of the president and his cabinet. I do not think it will have any significant impact on the poor state of the ailing economy and eventually on the lives of Kenyans it is supposed to ‘’help’’. That might only placate poor Kenyans for some time,perhaps by taking solace in the fact that times are hard and they must persevere given even their president has slashed his salary.

 

The president knows that corruption and unemployment are the main causes of the problems Kenyans are facing. He knows that wastage of public funds by government institutions to purchase overpriced things such as mandazi,chai and flowers is where the problems lies. We have for example an ailing sugar industry,slowly being killed by known sugar barons who smuggle cheap sugar in the country. The president knows why many Kenyans cannot afford medical care and are still crying for that.The president knows what is to be fixed and create employment opportunities for the youth.In a nut shell,he needs to face the problems he was entrusted to tackle head-on. He needs to concentrate on the real causes of the ailing economy and stop these stop-gap measures. They are things he vowed to tackle during his campaign.

That brings me to another thing; the president has severally been praised for bringing a breath of fresh air to the presidency. His is a digital government or so we are told.However, his conduct and approach in most cases just like in this pay cut incident, the president has behaved like he is still on the campaign trail and still wooing Kenyan’s votes. The tone of his language when making such statement, the demeanour just like the deputy president is that of seeking the validation of Kenyans. He is president and Kenyans do not want lots of talk and warnings to tackle corruption and unemployment. Just action. He should not make such luke- warm attempts to solve our problems.

POLITICAL BULLYING AND ITS IMPACT ON JUSTICE.

Since the promulgation of the new constitution in August 2010, Kenyans have witnessed a rejuvenated judiciary with many changes. With that came monumental happenings that will go in the annals of the history of this nation. First we witnessed the departure of Ms Nancy Baraza as the deputy chief justice when she was found to have pinched the nose of a security guard.

Then came the general elections last year and the Supreme Court had to deliver its judgement after Raila Odinga contested the results. The former prime minister later was quoted in the media dismissing the court’s judgement and alleging bias.

Next we witnessed the departure of Mrs.Gladyss Boss Shollei as the Chief registrar of the judiciary and the ensuing political drama and statements. The fiasco that followed between the Judicial Service Commission, the Executive and Legislature to date has not been resolved. The LSK the other day accused the president of refusing to gazette the 25 judges the JSC appointed.

           

Recently came the impeachment of Embu governor Mr.Wambora.Consequently,he moved to the high court in Kerugoya to challenge the senate’s impeachment(The court will rule on 10^th March 2014 whether he will remain in office pending the hearing and determination of his suit.)What followed like in the above three incidents I have highlighted was an outbreak of aggressive statements from some senators and members of parliament on the presumed erroneous constitutional ruling, tantamount to saying that ‘’we know which law to be applied and what should be the correct ruling.’’ There  were as well simple populists statements such as ‘’separation of powers’’ and some to the effect that the judiciary has gone back to the era of corruption and being controlled by militias and drug barons who roam free in its hallowed corridors.

The judiciary has also been threatened by parliament to be ‘’dealt with’’ by reducing the budgetary allocations to the judiciary in the next financial year. There has been talk of amending the Vetting of Judges and Magistrates Act to have all those judges and magistrates appointed after the promulgation of the new constitution in 2010 to be vetted. Parliament has also warned of tabling a motion to discuss the conduct of individual judges and the judiciary. They also want the president to decline to gazette the twenty five judges the Judicial Service Commission appointed recently.

Yet there is nothing inherently wrong with politicians making statements about the judiciary and criticising it. The judiciary is not and must not be immune from criticism and Judges should not be placed in an enclave like an ivory tower, clothed in sheaths to stop the sharp arrows of criticism. Politics is always present and it will be an irrational dream to postulate its total elimination from legal and constitutional justice. A Utopian dream which could become counter-productive for the constitutional justice as noted by Polish law professor Marek Safjan in his paper Judges and Constitutional Courts;A Personal Perspective published by the European University Institute in 2008.

 

However, the political bullying and attendant political noise being witnessed currently should not be confused with open, fair public debate and external criticism akin to that by a free media to bring accountability to the judiciary or to rein in on the arbitrariness of certain judges. This political bullying is pathological especially that it has crossed the acceptable levels in a democratic society. For instance, it will help   in undermining the status of the courts in the eyes of the public opinion. The courts and the judiciary at large will be viewed as weak, ineffective and lacking in impartiality and independence.

 

It also sends the wrong message that certain people like politicians are not liable for their decisions and cannot be asked to account. It means that the rule of law is relative and dependent upon certain factors. In effect, the society will get the impression that the courts are not the best forum to solve disputes and they should only do so if it suits their interests. Incidents of citizens assaulting police officers, invading private property etc stem from the reinforcement of such messages. What follows is a total disrespect for the rule of law and a society that is ungovernable.

 

Our politicians have consistently disregarded the rule of law for political expediency. Political bullying has been their stock in trade; the average citizen like me may have cheered them on depending on which political noise is musical. The consequences might be subtle for now but in the long term, we will breed a society with total disregard for the rights of minority groups and vulnerable amongst us, social and religious intolerance and lack of awareness of the rule of law etc.

Therefore, our politicians including the president and his deputy need a Politicians Guide to the Rule of Law to read while on this train to destination Anarchy. Hoping they might just stop midway after reading it. But will they listen? Finally we simple wan anchi must also know that politicians come and go but the rule of law endures.

 

 

 

MENTAL HEALTH STIGMATISATION IN KENYA

In his column in the Sunday Nation of February 2^nd 2014(Mentally ill deserve equal job opportunities) and on the 9^th February 2014(Mental Health needs a high-profile advocate) Dr. Lukoye Atwoli brings to the fore the problem of stigmatisation of people with mental disorders in Kenya.

 

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights notes  in its 2011 report titled Silenced Minds:The Systemic Neglect of Mental Health System  in Kenya that  there is little community awareness about mental health,leading to confusion about what constitutes mental disorder,mental illness,personality disorder,intellectual disability e.t.c. The Commission says in its report that stigmatization was identified as the critical factor that led to the rebranding of Mathari Mental Hospital to Mathari Hospital.The word ‘’mental ‘’ itself was considered stigmatizing.

Last week while watching a talk show on a local television station where two guests were debating the cases before the International Criminal Court, one of them to hammer the point home that his opponent was perhaps lying, chose to call him a ‘‘mental case’’.The other one replied by saying he had never been to Mathari or any other mental hospital. And the talk show host laughed uproariously. Of course the words might have been said in jest. The words seemed innocuous and added the much needed drama to the show. But reflectively, they portray the lack of awareness and subsequent stigmatisation when it comes to mental health. What comes to the minds of many people when mental illness is mentioned is the image of a haggard and violent man who should only be kept at a place like Mathari or be left to roam the streets, homeless.

 In many Kenyan communities mental health is still mainly associated with witchcraft. Traditional healers are sought and most patients end up not getting proper medication, worsening the situation instead. The situation is compounded in places where there is also rampant drug abuse, for instance Malindi. Today, we also have a mushrooming of churches and this has resulted in a messy mushroom soup as author John Mbiti put it. The dubious preachers ‘’heal’’ all manner of ailments including mental disorders which according to them are simply the work of the devil.

 

The International Institute for Legislative Affairs also notes in its October 2011 digest that mental health unfortunately still carries stigma due to ignorance and/ or social-cultural beliefs about mental health. B ecause of this stigma, many people hesitate to get help for a mental health problem for fear of being looked down upon. This stigma is partly propagated by the media because people with mental disorders are, many times, not described accurately or realistically in the media. News stories sometimes highlight mental illness to create a sensation in a news report. Since the media plays a critical role in shaping the perceptions and opinions of Kenyans it is imperative that it remains sensitive and accurate when reporting about mental health issues. Doing the opposite will only help in propagating the stigma associated with mental illness.

 

When the most vulnerable members of a society are neglected, their specific needs are overlooked. It becomes also difficult to assist in their re-integration into all aspects of community life, thus improving their overall quality of life. Successive governments’ policies and practices have also helped in marginalising mental health and in essence discriminating against persons suffering from mental disorders. This is the time therefore for the digital government to rise to the occasion and bring the sorely needed changes. Otherwise it will not count much if we drill oil and build nice railway lines and super highways yet the vulnerable members of the society are still neglected and their constitutional rights are violated.

The Mental Health Act is outdated and not in line with international standards and the Kenyan constitution and needs to be amended accordingly. But still, Kenya is a perfect example that existence of legislation does not necessarily guarantee the protection of people with mental disorders. Political will is lacking and mental health issues are not taken with the seriousness they deserve.Therefore, political will is much needed to move forward.

 

VULNERABILITY AND RADICALISATION OF THE KENYAN YOUTH.

                               VULNERALBE KENYAN YOUTH AND RADICALISATION

In 2009, a bitter leadership feud erupted at the Riyadha Mosque in Nairobi’s Majengo area when young Muslims violently took over the management of the mosque and several-income generating ventures, ousting a committee of elderly people. The leader of the young people who led this takeover was later to go underground and resurface in a video recording sent to a local media house claiming to have joined al-Shabaab.There were allegations that the government turned a blind eye and gave a deaf ear to complaints by parents that their children were being radicalised at the mosque then.

In May 2012, men dressed as police officers arrested Samir Khan,a deputy of Aboud Rogo,and his mutilated body was found days later in a national park.Rogo met a similar fate in August 2012 when he was shot by unknown assailants. In both incidents the Kenyan security forces were accused of extra-judicial killings.

In November 2012,Kenyan non-muslim youth rioted in response to a grenade attack in Eastleigh,attacking Muslims and their businesses.Then lately on 2^nd February  this year,we witnessed police officers perched on a mosque’s minaret with guns, battling  it out with youths  following claims of a radicalisation session that was going on that Sunday at the Masjid Musa mosque in Majengo.Hundreds were arrested including minors.We were shown weapons including a gun  allegedly recovered.Sadly,deaths occurred.

 

 After the latest incident in Majengo, Mombasa, the expected responses by the police on the one hand and the muslim community on the other hand followed. The police were defensive and tried to justify why they resorted to the use of force to disperse the young men from the mosque.The muslim community mainly condemned the police for committing a sacrilegious act of storming the mosque with their dirty police boots.At the same time,there were denunciations of radicalism and a call for the government to go after those preaching extremist jihad ideology.There was talk of freedom of religion as well.

 The above few examples highlight the Kenyan government’s approach to the problem of the vulnerability of Kenyan youth to radicalisation and extremism, the perception of the muslims by the non muslims in Kenya and the approach of the various organisations representing muslims in Kenya to this menace of radicalisation.

None of the parties attempted to identify the drivers of radicalisation and offer a solution.Questions such as what causes the youth to be susceptible to radicalistaion,and what can be done to end it.These are seemingly  simple questions yet they require brutally sincere answers that can only be answered if there is an open debate by both parties,that is the government and the larger muslim community through its organisations like the National Union of Kenya Muslims,the Young Muslim Association,the Islamic Foundation,the Muslim Education and Welfare Associatipon,the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenyathe National Muslim Leaders Forum,and the umbrella body the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims.

The starting point obviously is by the muslim community accepting that there is radicalisation going on in some of the mosques as evidently pointed out in the media when rowdy vulnerable youth took over the Masjid Musa mosque to propagate their extremist jihad ideology last year .The government on its part must acknowledge that its approaches have been so far counter-productive and should change tact.

The next step would be to identify the causes of radicalisation.An interplay of political,social -economic,personal identity,Kenyan identity and religious factors lead the vulnerable youth to radicalisation. For instance,the  history of Kenya as a nation has contributed to the radicalisation that leads many youths to to join exterimist groups. The MRC at the coast and the atrocities committed during the Shifta war come to my mind.Political marginalisation is one of the problems being exploited to fan radicalism. Unless everyone feels a part of this nation through politics of inclusion then the problem will not go away.Any real or perceived inequality in terms of distribution of resources and availability of employment opportunities have also significantly contributed to radicalisation.

Although it has been found that not all who become radicalised come from poor backgrounds, poverty is a motivating factor that is used by the radical preachers to recruit the vulnerable youth.A government that does not provide the basic needs of healt,education,security and shelter cannot have the support of its citizens it has neglected.The radical preachers through dubious charitable organisations provide the basic needs and fill the void left by the government. Poverty is then politicised to the advantage of the extremists.

Prison has also been found to be a recruitment ground and it is imperative that even as the government takes the youths to court with a view to convicting and eventually sending them to prison, it should note that most of them might come out more radicalised and even leave prison with converts. There is need therefore to monitor those radicalised inmates and even after they serve their sentences.

Also, even as it seeks to have them prosecuted in court it should always ensure that due process, rule of the law and constitutionality are upheld. Otherwise the police will fast become part of the  problem.

And to all those who run to the constitution, they must know from the outset that there has to be distinction between people who are genuinely worshipping in mosques and anywhere else for that is their constitutional right, and those people who are motivated by extremist agenda and want to exploit such places of worship for their own selfish agenda including recruitment.

And as noted by Anneli Botha in her publication in Institute for Security Studies paper 245, we must hear the candid and forceful voice of the moderate Muslims; otherwise the general perception among the non-Muslim society will be that the acts of the extremists represent Islam. The Kenyan non Muslim society like the world over views Muslims as ‘’terrorists’’, this has led to the marginalisation of the muslim youth who are guilty of terrorism until proven otherwise, this has led them to have no option but to join the extremist movements since they have already been labelled as ‘’terrorists’’. There must be change in attitude for those of us who do not understand Islam as a religion.