Who is behind the Explosions in Eastleigh, Nairobi and what could be done about it?

Eastleigh, Nairobi, Source of the Picture: warqaad.com

 

 

Within three days, two explosions have been carried out in Eastleigh, a section of Nairobi inhibited mainly by Kenyan Somalis, and some Somalis from Somalia, fleeing wars in their original homeland.

Similar explosions were also carried out in recent weeks and months.

Some folks are busy killing and injuring people, so it appears.


In the latest explosion which took place in front of a mosque, AL-Hidaya, in wood street, three people people were killed and many others were wounded, including a prominent member of a pKenya's parliament, Yusuf Hassan.

Latest reports also suggest more people who have died due to the injuries they have sustained during the blast.

Kenyan authorities generally blame Shebab, an extremist organization based in Somalia, having links with Al-Qaida, and their sympathizers of being behind such attacks against Kenyan security forces and ordinary Kenyans of Kenya.

 A number of reasons support Kenya’s allegations against Shebab:

First, senior officers of Shebab, including their spokespersons, Ali Dhere, have claimed that they will carry out revenge attacks in Kenya to convince Kenya to withdraw its troops from southern Somalia.

They have repeated such claims several times, including very recently, claiming this time, specifically, that they will increase their attacks to coincide with upcoming general elections in the country, to increase mayhem.

Second, number of people who were found to have been been behind recent bomb attacks in Kenya were linked to Shebab.

Third, these attacks increase pressure on Kenya to withdraw its troops from southern Somalia and this is in line with Shebab aspirations, to resume its rule in Kismayo, and parts of Southern Somalia, and subsequently gain access to lost funds.

This comes also when Shebab propaganda machine has become a bit more sophisticated; they have learned not to incriminate themselves because doing so has created more enemies  for them equipped with proofs they have provided and less supporters who can support them.

They no longer want their opponents to have these proofs of their wrong doings, yet all intended parties know, as they carry out their attacks,  who is behind some if not most of these attacks.

But this attack appears to be different from the previous ones because the target was a mosque, not a church or nursery school occupied by non-Somali Kenyans.

This feature of the attack was downplayed by Kenyan media for obvious reasons, to downplay religious and ethnic significance of the attack, but it not does help much because things has to be generally presented as they are to find a solution to them.

Somalis were not previously the target of these kinds of attacks, others were. Now they appear to be, as the latest one suggests. There is  some good reasons to think this will increase in the coming days and months if something is not done about it, and I shall state what can be done about it.

First, some people think Shebab is behind some if not most of these attacks against on ordinary Kenyans, to protest against Kenya’s deployments of its troops in southern Somalia; this happens to be also Kenya's offical claims,  as stated ealier, and Kenyans may take this at face value, and it also happens to be what Shebab said they will do.

If so,  one primitive way to pressure them is to carry similar attacks now on ordinary Somalis too,  to take the law into their own hands, since the state appears to lack capacities to prevent such attacks, citizans may try to see if they can . This may be what some wanted, incite communcl violance and create general insecurity.

Second, thieves who wish to loot Somali properties may attack Somali business to enrich themselves and simultaneously revenge for their communities.

Third, others may carry out similar attacks against Somalis because of political reasons, as some have already suggested when the MP was wounded.

There is no evidence to suggest, so far, the blast was politically motivated, but it is a possibility, and as the election gets close, Kenyans may worry about their general safety, even though Kenya’s security forces have promised to protect them.

There is something all Kenyans can do, including Somali Kenyans, and Somali refugees who happen to find themselves in this terrible situation: work together to increase communal cooperation, and work with the security forces to target people who are behind these attacks.

It is win-win situation. 

Moreover, Kenya's ecurity forces should create a system whereby it is easy for people to volunteer information needed to prevent attacks while remaining anonymous.

For this to happen and become a norm, Kenya’s security forces ought to cease their documented gross human rights violations against  Kenyan Somalis.  This will be good for East Africa and frankly for the whole world.

Kenya must also strengthen its own intelligence networks to prevent such attacks.