News Analysis: Terrorism threatens stability, hampers economic growth in Kenya: experts

The horrific murder of 147 Kenyan university students by Al-Shabaab militants on Thursday reaffirmed the East African nation's vulnerability to the monster of terrorism despite heightened vigilance.

Kenyan security experts who spoke to national media after the terror attack at Garissa University in northern Kenya stated the country must brace for a prolonged fight against a security threat that has mutated.

Richard Tuta, a security expert, was categorical that domestic and foreign terror groups are determined to flex their muscle inside the Kenyan soil even as the country's security forces ramp up surveillance.

"What is apparently clear is that Al-Shabaab has not been vanquished despite the recent death of its senior kingpins from missile strikes. This is a terror group whose capacity to mutate is profound," Tuta remarked.

Kenya has been at the mercy of Al-Shabaab terrorists since 2011 when the country deployed its troops inside Somalia to root out the insurgents.

The macabre killing of 147 university students by gunmen linked to Al-Shabaab plunged Kenya into new depths of anguish and soul searching.

President Uhuru Kenyatta in a televised address said Kenya will not be cowed by the latest terror attack and would deploy its security apparatus to vanquish Al-Shabaab militants and their sympathizers.

Prior to the terrorist attack at Garissa University, foreign missions had issued warning of a security threat along the vast Kenyan-Somalia border.

Both the British and Australian Embassies warned their citizens against visiting the Kenyan counties bordering Somalia.

Analysts regretted that disjointed collaboration between Kenyan and foreign intelligence agencies created lapses that were exploited by terrorists.

"Immediately the terror alerts were issued by our foreign allies in late March, the Kenyan security forces should have acted more robustly. The intelligence community should piece together any piece of information and intensify round the clock surveillance," said Tuta.

Several Kenyan universities had earlier warned the students and faculty members about an impending terror attack.

According to local dailies, the universities even posted security alerts on the notice board while urging students to report suspicious characters.

Administrators at Garissa University College had received intelligence reports about unspecified attack inside the campus that hosts 850 students.

Regrettably, defenseless students, guards and faculty members were caught off guard when Al-Shabaab militants stormed into the university campus on Thursday dawn to carry out an orgy of killings.

"We must reassess our counter-terrorism measures since they are still laden with deficiencies. The Kenyan northern and coastal region is a perfect bleeding ground for terrorism due to ongoing youth radicalization, poor relationship between local communities and security officers and the obvious marginalization," Tuta noted.

Ethnic and religious divisions have created a fertile ground for bleeding terror inside Kenya.

Kisiangani regretted that politicization of the security sector and rampant corruption has undermined the war against terrorism in Kenya.

"We are still debating on the pros and cons of a security law that would have emboldened the fight against terrorism. Section of the political class is not committed to this gigantic war," Kisiangani said.

He noted that Al-Shabaab militia has penetrated easily into the Kenyan territory after paying bribes at the border points.

"We must stand up against the culture of graft and political divisions in order to win the war against terrorism. These inherent weaknesses have made us a soft target for criminal elements," said Kisiangani.

Kenya's security architecture has been disrupted by the recent terror attack and the impact could be felt across key sectors of the economy.

Professor Edward Kisiangani, a social scientist noted that terrorism poses a mortal threat to Kenya's quest for economic growth and social transformation.

"Ideally, our economy is supposed to be on a growth trajectory, but terrorism could reverse us backwards. Sensitive sectors like tourism will of course experience a slump," said Kisiangani.

Kenya's tourism players recently urged the government to ramp up the fight against terrorism that is to blame for a declining number of visitors in the country.

Kenya must cooperate with the international community to acquire skills, technology and resources needed to fight terrorism.

Mwenda M'mbijjiwe, a security expert, noted that terrorism has acquired new sophistication, hence the need for a paradigm shift to conquer this menace.

"The terrorists are adapting new tricks every day. We cannot afford to sit on our laurels as Al-Shabaab and its affiliates keep on outsmarting us despite huge investments in counter-terrorism measures," said M`mbijjiwe.

He urged the government to fast-track the establishment of a wall along the border with Somalia to curb infiltration by Al- shabaab militants.

"Even as we establish physical barriers to ward off Al-Shabaab infiltration, we must invest more in community policing, since these terrorists are hiding in our midst," M'mbijjiwe remarked. Endi