US was unfair to issue a travel advisory

For the umpteenth time, the US gave a travel advisory to its citizens who are interested in visiting Kenyan coast for holiday and other purposes, last week. This move has aroused a protest from the Kenyan Government and the hospitality industry.

The travel advisory is motivated by what the US considers lack of security. It is true that terrorists have caused untold suffering in Nairobi, Mombasa and other towns this year — including Sunday’s incident — but the Government has been fighting terrorism to its best and nobody should paint a contrary picture to the world about it.

If the Government wasn’t committed to fighting insecurity and terrorism, our defence forces won’t have been sent to Somalia, last year. They are still there and doing their best to wipe out terror group Al Shabaab. This is ostensibly to ensure Kenya and foreigners residing here are safe. Massive resources have been used for this noble assignment and, to me, it is a clear indication Kenya is serious about fighting terrorism within and without.

In this assignment, international community has been supporting Kenya to ensure Kenya and East Africa at large is a safe haven to live in as well as invest.

Other efforts have also been put in place to secure major towns and cities by deploying more security officers and state of art equipment to curb terrorism.

It is therefore worrisome that US — without engaging Kenya — issued a travel advisory. We all know terrorism is a global concern and no country — not even the US — is indispensable.
Therefore, the US should reverse the decision for the sake of our tourism business.
{James Mwangi Kanyi, Nairobi}

Measures that Government need to put in place to reign on terrorism.

Kenya is no doubt the target of terror groupsout to kill and maim innocent people and destroy property without any provocation.

This year alone, tens of lives have been lost in terror activities in Nairobi, Mombasa and other towns and it is for this reason that we need to put in place strict security measures to save lives and properties.

A bitter fact is that most cases of terror attacks in Kenya have involved Al Shabaab militiamen and Kenyan residents of Somali origin. Therefore, as a matter of urgency, security at the Kenya-Somalia border should be tightened. It is in public domain that cache of lethal weapons has reportedly gained access through this border. The fact that Kenya Defence Forces are still in Somalia, Al Shabaab will find ways of getting even with Kenyans by staging sporadic attacks. It is, therefore, important that more security details are deployed along the border to net terrorists masquerading as refugees.

Secondly, the proposal to install CCTV cameras in major streets in our cities and towns is long overdue. This would ensure all activities taking place in these places are recorded for security purposes. This would also restrain terrorists and other criminals.

Thirdly, the National Intelligence Service should be more vigilant. Their vigilance would ensure pro-active measures are taken to forestall insecurity incidents.

Fourthly, the Government should procure state-of-art equipment to detect dangerous weapons in all public places.

Lastly, the media should not be left out in the anti-crime war. It should be involved in civil education on the dos and don’ts in case of terror attacks.

These and many other security measures can go along way in making Kenya a safer place and rounding off the blood-thirst terrorists who are busy plotting how to spill more blood.

{James Mwangi Kanyi, Nairobi}

Kenyans should improve on oral communication.

Whenever an accident occurs or another occurrence—good or bad—Kenyans flock to the scene to witness .A little later, members of the fourth estate jostle there to record the happening as well as witness the eye witness. In many instance than not, the interviewees struggle to narrate the actual thing that took place. At the end of the day, the information is distorted to a great extent. The worst case is when the police officers are interviewed. In political forum, a good number of politicians find themselves on the receiving end over their remarks. In most cases, such politicians make their remarks innocently but due to the poor communication skill. It is interesting to note that even well-educated professionals make the same mistake when addressing the public or in similar forum. In the above situations, one can deduce that communication skills are lacking. It is therefore important that our education system should put emphasis on oral communication skill. This form of communication is absolutely necessary as it can mean life or death in sensitive professionals like medical or aviation. It is for this reason that it should be nurtured in formative learning institutions so that everybody can grow up knowing how to communicate effectively to avoid misinterpretation of message. James Mwangi Kanyi Nairobi