When I saw this headline this morning, I was lost for words and felt for the poor kid who consoled his weeping mother that they would buy a new dad after the other one’s death the previous night. He was among other 29 men massacred by an illegal sect(Mungiki) in a village in the central part of Kenya. The young mother of two is now a widow like many others in the village.

The poor 4 year old boy does not understand what is happening and all he thinks is that they can get a new dad from the shops. The situation may worsen as vigilantes have also regrouped warning residents against any dealings with the sect. The residents have been left between a hard place and a rock since the Mungiki also has its own threats to anyone who refuses to yield to their demands.

When the country was hit by chaos last year, what happened would have been avoided if the security agencies heeded to advices on planned violence if Raila failed to win the presidency, all they did was to sit back and wait until things got out of hand.

We have a reputable intelligence service but political bickering has dealt it a major blow, in this case also, these deaths would have been avoided if only the security forces was receptive enough to word going round over the planned retaliation by the sect, this again fell on deaf ears and now 29 families are mourning their loved ones while others have been forced to send their sons into exile due to threats fuelled by the sect.

The sect left a warning behind that “We came for the old ones, soon we will come for the young ones” this is a clear message that more blood will be poured.