Why public attack against KDF chief is baseless and pointless

Last Thursday, I had the good fortune of being among the many non-law enforcement actors who graced the inaugural public lecture by the intelligence chief, Mr Noordin Hajji. The speakers were Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Charles Kahariri, Attorney General Dorcas Oduor and LSK president Faith Odhiambo.

The following day, I noticed with dismay the sustained social media condemnation of the CDF for his remarks that the military, the institution he leads, is apolitical and their primary loyalty is to the State. The definition of the State encapsulates the government, which is the administrative agent through which the State operates. In underscoring this reality, the CDF pointed out that the military is always loyal to the government of the day, which is given to them by the people through a democratic process as spelt out in our constitution. As part of the larger system of checks and balances, the Constitution provides that national security organs are subordinate to civilian authority.

But the other truth is that there is so much anger in the country. The anger is fueled, in part, by the economic hardship that we are currently experiencing. History has demonstrated that bouts of economic hardship tend to strengthen forces of populist extremism. After the high cost of living demonstrations in 2023, the “Ruto Must Go” chant has become part of our political parlance. It has come to represent the disaffection of the people. Therefore, such chants have been used to drive a political narrative.

As the head of one of the most critical national security organs, the CDF felt duty-bound to remind us all that such chants are pointless if their ends are not aligned with the Constitution. It is therefore baseless and pointless to attack General Kahariri for just reminding us what the Constitution says. In the wisdom of Robert Green in his book, Laws of human nature, “we must teach ourselves to examine evidence in the cold light of day and with much sceptism as we can master muster.”

The collapse of multi-lateralism and the emergence of far right politics on the global scene have profoundly impacted our security situation. Regionally, neighbouring states are grappling with conflicts and tense inter-state relations. In Ethiopia, for instance, there have been conflicts in Oromia, Amhara and Tigray regions. It is instructive to note that the Oromo Liberation Army and Al Shabaab are leveraging their networks in areas along the Kenya- Ethiopia border to smuggle arms, narcotics and to recruit. The renewed hostilities in South Sudan continues to elicit fears of renewed refugee influx which could have adverse implications.

Domestically, we have a restless population whose anxieties are turbo-charged by social media and artificial intelligence such as deep fakes and video manipulations. We also have to contend with cut-throat political competition which is sometimes blind to good judgment and restraint. For example, we have seen political players fire salvo at the heads of national security organs and you can tell that these are people using our critical national security apparatus as political ruses to engage in dog whistle politics.

Moments such as these demand that we engage in less finger pointing and embrace a brand of politics that is both fact-based and people-centric. Such politics will not seek to drag critical institutions of national security into political slug-fest, knowing well that these institutions might not have a right of reply.

In attempting to lift the veil of secrecy through a public lecture, our national security organs had a chance to dispel the myths that distort the true role of intelligence in a democracy. Let us all protect and defend our national security edifice even as we demand for accountability and openness. The evolving national security landscape will protect us more effectively if we, the citizens, embrace the whole of society approach that the intelligence agencies and other national security organs have embraced.

Mr Kidi is the convener of Inter Parties Youth Forum. kidimwaga@gmail.com