Every time I watch the horror tales coming out of Shakahola, Kilifi County, I can’t help but recall a comment by a participant at a forum on neighbourhood security and safety held at a Nairobi hotel.
“When we were in school, we used to be told that serikali ina mkono mrefu (literally, the long arm of the law),” he said. “We thought the government, with its mkono mrefu, could sort us out so that we can spend the day peacefully and sleep comfortably at night. But with time, we have come to realise that, as individuals and as residents, we have a role in making our neighbourhoods secure.”
