Kenya on Saturday marked 52 years of independence with the country’s President Uhuru Kenyatta vowing to double his efforts in the fight against terror.
Kenyatta called on the international community to recognize the global nature of terrorism and urged for a joint effort in the fight against extremism. More than 600 Kenyans have been killed in terror related attacks inside the country in the last four years.
Kenyan troops are battling the al Shabaab militants inside Somalia and the attacks are linked to the troops presence in the horn of Africa nation.
Kenyatta’s first term in office has been dogged by rising insecurity posed by the al Shabaab militant group. The Somali based Al Qaeda linked militant group has launched several attacks inside Kenya, Kenyatta called for global unity to end the threat of terrorism.
“The global nature of these attacks reminds us that an attack on one is an attack on all of us, we resolve to play an important role in the effort to build a more robust global peace and security architecture,” says Kenyatta.
Kenya’s fourth head of state, since independence, did not shy away from pointing out where the shoe bites. “Corruption is corrosive, it has brought us destructive ethnic politics, which associates public office with the accumulation of wealth, a bribe given to let a faulty vehicle go and later that vehicle crashes kills innocent Kenyans. A terrorist who offers bribes hoping to cross our borders, corruption kills,” says Kenyatta.
Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf attended the celebrations as this year’s guest of honour. She termed Kenya a friend and ally.
“Appreciation for the role Kenya has played in Liberia’s fight, first for peace and more recently in the fight against the Ebola disease,” says Sirleaf.
When his father took power 52 years ago, the country faced three challenges; poverty, hunger and disease, 52 years later, the younger Kenyatta in power, the challenges are more hunger, poverty and disease remain, but he also faces challenges of corruption and unemployment. He must also fight terrorism if he is to win the confidence of Kenyans.