Thursday, May 22, 2014

Kenya - The unfolding Geo political theatre.

For a long time, despite a few hiccups, Kenya has been the apple of the eye for the West. A haven of western interests in Africa, Kenya has been the host for one of the largest stations for UN, US, UK, Israel, funding an donor agencies.

The west in return has been a loyal supporter of kenya and it's leadership. It has been thus far providing all the advance warnings, intelligence, armed and economic support to the nation. Especially as kenya lies, almost as an island, in a neighborhood of troubled countries or those which have traditionally been enamoured to comunism or socialism. Or more recently as a buffer against radical Islamism, and Al Qaeda bases, as has happened with the emergence of Al Shabaab in Somalia.

Now this bonhomie seems to be falling apart. With the newly elected leadership of Kenya facing war crime charges in ICC courts in Hague, there was an expectation that some pressure on the western nations, some Sabre rattling of sorts, can put enough pressure on the western nations to roll back the Damocles sword of ICC away. What it did, In reality was create a lot of bad blood in the long symbiotic relationship with western nations.

As a demonstration of some real threat, Kenya started getting demonstrably close to China. As the western nations realized that they were helping out on existential support to Kenya while all lucrative deals where going the China way, they decided to pull the plug on such support, perhaps as a pilot scenario being presented .... Of what happens when the west exits.

What it meant was less and less intelligence collaboration, a scenario at a time when the nation faces the high alert situation of  high extended terrorism surge post-Westgate.  As more and more resources began being diverted in anti terror activities, the thugs on the street had a field day looting and haranguing innocent residents. Pretty soon, the situation seems to be spiraling out of control, where there seems to be no control on either terrorism activities or that of urban crime.

This has resulted in west sending more signs of pressure by withdrawing their expats, thinning presence, and other measures which have signaled to the investor community to lay off K yea for the time being. The measure of the wet in  bringin in their own marines for security if their establishment was a further comment that they did not believe the security system being provided by the local establishment a la Libya.

The scenario in shirt is that there is a high terrorism alert, terrorist activity of low calibre keeps recurring with alarming frequency, and the urban crime which has got Nairobi the epitaph of Nairobbery is doing nothing to help the city with its reputation.

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