As the country celebrates spectacular performances by the two top athletes being feted globally for writing records in marathon running, it is also bleeding from a grave security breach in the north that calls for increased vigilance.
The spectre of terrorism continues to dog the country. The Saturday incident in which 10 General Service Unit officers died when their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) in Garissa County has been rightly condemned by President Uhuru Kenyatta as a cowardly act.
Our enemies are opting for tactics meant to instil fear in Kenyans. However, it would be terrible to despair, having known that this would be a long-drawn-out affair.
This threat must be confronted as the security organs seek to secure the country, and especially its borders.
The long, largely porous border with Somalia, from where Al-Shabaab terrorists organise attacks, remains a big challenge.
While the rest of the country has seen fewer incidents, there have been sporadic attacks in this region.
There is a need, therefore, to change tack and enhance the capacity to pre-empt attacks. The enemy has been planting IEDs on the roads knowing that this is a favoured approach of the security personnel.
An apt response is needed. Until the safety of the roads is ascertained, it is, perhaps, time to assault the enemy from the air, using helicopters and increasing patrols on foot.
There has been a tendency to quickly mobilise in response to attacks but, as soon as the dust settles, everything is forgotten until another incident occurs.
Intelligence gathering must also be stepped up for security forces to launch decisive strikes to secure the region and the country as a whole.
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