Rodney M. Elliott, Mayor of Lowell & Rady Mom State Representative,chant “Kenya” at a vigil held at Lowell City Hall for the 148 students killed in the Garissa University Attack:Photo 1 SUN/Caley McGuane: / Photos: Sam Mwaura/Samrack Media (Click photo to Zoom Larger Image)

https://youtu.be/FozWTxcEeS8

We Kenyans living in Massachusetts, and its environs and friends of Diaspora express our solidarity with the Government of Kenya, Families of the victims and survivors of Garissa Terrorists attack.

Our immediate thoughts, in particular, lie with the families of those affected by this tragedy.

We send our prayer and sympathy for the speedy recovery, comfort, courage and consolation of all those affected by the tragedy. We wish to convey our full solidarity to the families of the victims, sharing in the sorrow of all those who mourn.

It is tragic that Kenya’s promise generation of young, full of hopes, dreams and aspirations, would meet their death in such horrifying circumstances, in the hands of terrorists. Nevertheless, despite those attacks, the Kenyan people remain united and strong.

We oppose and strongly condemn every form of violence that destroys human life, violates the dignity of the person and radically undermines the foundation of peaceful co-existence between persons and peoples, notwithstanding differences of nationality, religion, tribe and culture.

We cannot ignore the rise in home grown terrorists and process of radicalization is real. Therefore we must guard the society in which these young men and women live for ignoring them from its circle, pushes them to look for other social networks to align themselves with a virtuous cause. There is need to pay attention to perceptions of social exclusion and marginality in an environment of a youth to avoid these young generation being lured towards extremist causes.

We sincerely hope that while our nation is going through difficult time, the international community work together to fight against the scourge of terrorism and intensify the existing cooperation to bring the perpetrators of this horrible act to justice and the restoration of stability.

We pledge to continue being ambassadors of the Kingdom of Light in this present darkness. We will not allow acts of terror to stir up any kind of division. We continue to believe that love is stronger than hatred; that evil is real but that goodness prevails; that bitterness and anger poison the soul but forgiveness heals and restores.

We advocate for increased public diplomacy, addressing the need to fight, corruption, deprivation and alienation. We realize Local community engagement is vital in this battle for the minds of young people.

We call for rigorous sensitization and awareness training to be able to gauge early signs of radicalization in the community.

We call for a long-term and multipronged strategy, aimed at strengthening the institutional underpinnings of security while incorporating actors from across sectors, including security institutions, civilian government ministries, and civil society organizations.

Our pledge: Towards fighting the plague we as the diaspora community seek to partner/collaborate with the government, institutions and counties and all relevant stakeholders to;

Volunteer to offer expertise, resources and skills throughout primary, secondary schools and at the grass root level.
We are open to initiating programs that will engage the youth responsibly and meaningfully by way offering trainings, skills and resources.

“We, who now grieve for those gone before
Must embrace the power of His Amazing Grace
That it can walk their souls through Heaven’s door
Crossing the floor to meet God face-to-face”

We are a strong Nation, we shall triumph, We are one.