The Star Editorial

THERE are still an estimated 4,000 Somalis being held in Kasarani stadium. Government wants to first return all Somali refugees to Dadaab but and then move the camp back into Somalia.

This is a colossal strategic error by government. Only a small minority of Somalis support al Shabaab yet they are all assumed guilty. During the Mungiki crackdown of 2007, the state did not cordon and search all Kikuyu neighbourhoods because it knew that Mungiki only represented a tiny fraction of Kikuyu. There is no reason to harass all Somalis.

Somalis, including refugees, support the Kenyan economy. They have started businesses and keep their savings here. Eventually Somalia will stabilise. Then these Somalis will run away since we have treated them so badly, taking their savings with them. Kenya will be the poorer.

Kenya wants Nairobi to become the future regional hub of eastern Africa. That is the correct strategic position. But then we need Somalis, and other neighbours, to invest in Nairobi and work happily here.

Rather than a blanket assault on Somalis and a mass eviction of refugees, Kenya should identify al Shabaab operatives through a targeted intelligence operation.

These clumsy and indiscriminate security sweeps are causing long-term strategic damage to Kenya.

Quote of the day: “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?” – President Abraham Lincoln died after being shot on April 15, 1865

Source: The Star