CAUTION: WHY THE "BUSINESS COMMUNITY" MAY BE OUR WORST NIGHTMARE AFTER ELECTIONS

Afore warned is afore armed. We might feel very safe and protected by the the so called Business community as we face Nasa's protests but we may have to seek refuge after the repeat elections if the group is not contained or included in the next Government.

What many of us are giving a sense of belonging and legitimizing may turn out to be a cobra that will eventually bite us when we least expect it.

To help us explain what we mean, allow us to give a brief history of how Alshaabab was born. Our thorough research has shown stark similarities between the two groups.

Alshaabab was born out of the Islamic Court Union [ICU], a loose formation of the Islamic judicial systems, that aimed at restoring civil order after years of a violent anarchy in Somalia.

The ICU came up with the idea of equipping youths to counter attack pirates who had destabilized the Country for a relatively long time. Well, it achieved its objective.

The formation of the counter group (Alshaabab) even led to the opening of Mogadishu airport and earned the support most Somalis after managing to restore peace in the war zone that had been torn apart by 16 years of civil unrest.

However, after the Country was stabilized, the group was neglected. The young men had no jobs or money to support themselves and their families.

And that's how they regrouped with a new agenda. They formed the militia group that was more deadly than the violence they had been used to quell.

The Business Community’s sole purpose is to protect the businesses owned by people from the Gema communities from the effects of Nasa's protests. But this will only last a while.

After the presidential elections are over and tension in the country subsides, the business community will no longer be needed.

What then will happen to these people? where will they go? Is there any possibility of their inclusion in the Jubilee government which they seem to be supporting?

If the group is not efficiently contained, it may just become a replica of the Alshaabab militia and we may have to live with the consequences of supporting it.

....Our two cents...

Members of the business community issuing a press briefing in Nairobi last week. They vowed to ensure no damage is occassioned to businesses during Nasa's protests.