WHEN THE BULLETS STARTED BEATING US...

KDF in action (Photo Courtesy of http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/Kenya-in--search-and-rescue--after-KDF-attack/-/1840340/3038106/-/hrlechz/-/index.html)

            A few years back then President Mwai Kibaki sent our troops to Somali. The plan was to destabilize the Al Shabaab and cut of their sources of revenue especially at the coastal Town of Kismayu. The invasion was largely driven by Al Shabaab’s increasing boldness in our territories. They were especially enthusiastic about kidnapping foreigners who make up the majority of our tourists. Everyone and their cousin know that tourism is the liver of our economy seeing that the backbone is agriculture. The kidnapping of our guests was not something we could let slide so instead of increasing security around our borders, we sent our braves across with dramatic  D-Day style  invasions incursion in Somali. Unlike the actual D-Day pains were taken to publicize by our enthusiastic media the event and am sure any Al-Shabaab with half a brain at Kismayu probably have left long before we landed. The Kenyan media quick to model itself after CNN and other international rumor mills sent daring journalists to the front lines to record our “victory”.  Everyone was Happy. Kenya had shown the world that it could pull its weight around. 

           Then we quickly started to forget. The press was moved back to Kenya to do investigative pieces on Kenyan Pastors sleeping with peoples' wives. There was an election to cover in their spare time. Our mboys and their gallantly slowly faded in the hot sands of Somali.  The Al Shabaab on the other hand were not enjoying our presence. They realized that it was safer in Kenya anyways since our army was in Somali. Our police force on the other hand is not the kind you could rely on to detect crime unless this crime was armed with a bribe in which case it would be swept under the carpet. Minus the bribe of course.  They thrived (throve?).  They bombed malls and walked of as the GSU and Army shot at each other in their wake. Police commissioners and Army commanders held protracted pissing contests that quickly escalated to dick measuring ones.  Busy feeding us the misinformation was the local minister of propaganda Joseph Ole Lenku. The dead terrorists fled through a tunnel that had been sealed off and we were left as spectators as they burnt mattresses to fool us (Like we needed it). In the meantime our media houses garnished our breakfast with pictures of dead and dying victims. 

         The army having foiled the GSU’s attempt to kill the terrorists allegedly gorged themselves with whisky and looted the mall. Later, after internal investigation it emerged(to our collective relief) they only took water. The terrorists must also have robbed the safes and probably drunk the whisky which made the soldiers drunk and unruly.  That sparked off some serious controversy and the opposition started to demand the army be withdrawn from Somalia. The boots on the ground were being sent off to fight the ghostly Al Shabaab while some of their bosses according to the papers were rumored to be continuing with the charcoal trade they had gone to stop.  Which you would assume is a good thing since these are spoils of war. After all America probably got greased up in Iraq for all we know. But nope, they we doing it with Al Shabaab from foe to business partners. In the mean time the less business oriented terrorists are hunting our boys. Unknown numbers dead while some of the brass are allegedly selling trading charcoal with the killers.  As my ancestors would ask. Marakuire kii? What did they die?