Posta Kenya - The Soft Belly In Our National Security

The challenges facing postal organisation around the world, are numerous. The most peddled reasons are the lack of funds; the burden of universal service obligation (an international requirement that posts provide affordable services), technology, Government regulations, competition e.t.c.  While some of these reasons are justified, others are lame excuses given by persons who have run out of ideas to drive innovation and customer service. However, the lack of will to solve these problems, makes the Kenyan situation unique. For example, why was there no Government intervention in the recent Posta staff strike, yet it is wholly owned by the Government of Kenya? Compare this reaction to that of the doctors strike or the public transport strikes a few weeks earlier. The Posta strike, which was illegal, resulted in the summary dismissal of close to 600 staff across the country. The staff were reinstated by the Industrial Court a few days later. With the current high rate of unemployment and the economic downturn, how comes there was no Government reaction. Something is definitely amiss. 

Is it that Posta is no longer an essential service? Not at all. Posts are vital security installation. In other parts of the world, the posts receive far greater Government attention that the Kenyan scenario. In the USA, for example, the USPS is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorised by the United States Constitution. The CEO's of posts in the United Kingdom and United States of America were equivalent to Cabinet Ministers. In fact, the Postmaster General of  United States Postal Service (USPS) were members of the President's Cabinet from 1829 to 1971 when the laws were changed. Benjamin Franklin, one of the American Founding Fathers was the first Postmaster General of the USPS in 1775. 

Posta Kenya is a means that can be used to reach millions of people in Kenya and around the world. Postal institutions  are the only service providers that can deliver mail to any part of the world at affordable rates. All other private operators are found only within urban centres where they skim the cream, charging higher rates for that personalised service. To quote the Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the Postal arm of the United Nations, Edward Dayan, "Posts are the largest delivery networks in the world. Each day, more than 600,000 post offices serve billions of people, and each year they handle more than 438 billion letters and 6 billion parcels, and offer a vast range of electronic, financial and logistics services".

What about quality of service? It could be better. But truth be told, it meets international mail standards recognised by the UPU. Financially, Posta unlike many other Kenyan parastatals, has never received Government subsidy. In other words, its should have been applauded for saving Kenyans the burden of additional taxes to finance its operations. On the contrary, it has not been spared looting by the high and mighty. It has been a victim of the infamous Anglo Leasing projects, Euro Bank and Posta Pay money transfer scandals, land grabbing ... and the list is endless.

The Post remains an essential service, that can double up as the soft belly of our national security. Sample this:

1. In mid September 2001, there was a bio-terrorism threat posed by the suspicious anthrax laced mail in the USA. The deliberate mailing of anthrax spores through the USPS caused 5 deaths, 22 cases of anthrax and massive disruption to Congress and USPS. The result? Both public and private institutions were engaged to limit the risks of future attacks. The array of potential solutions addressed included improving mail handling procedures, changing mailing policies, installing bio/chemical agent detectors and sterilising the mail. In Kenya, there was a letter mailed from Atlanta, Georgia, initially reported to contain anthrax, but was found not to contain anthrax after further testing. How did our Government react? The Postal management undertook staff education and provision of limited PPE equipment such as gloves and masks. However, the main stream Government could have done much more to secure and educate the general public and other institutions.  
2. On 29th October 2010, two USA bound parcel bombs posted from Yemen  were intercepted in Dubai and Britain airports. The bombs were disguised in LaserJet Printer and expertly constructed  toners cartridges filled with odourless military grade plastic explosives. The results were a trying three months for posts world over. Security alerts were triggered in the USA, UK and Middle East. Some countries stopped accepting freight packages originating or transiting from Yemen, Somalia and prohibited passengers from carrying certain printer cartridges on all flights. Emirates, the largest Middle East airline stopped carrying mail. The USA increased air passenger screening including physical searches.The Department of Homeland Security of the USA in liaison with the Transport Security Agency (TSA) suspended all mail destined to the USA. Later on, restriction were placed on parcels and a raft of measures introduced to screen mail. As a result, most airlines declined to carry the USA mail due to the stringent security measures. The result was a pile up of mail destined to the USA at International Mail Exchange centres across the world. Our Government did not even react, despite Kenya being a neighbour to Somalia and the easiest transit point for its mail. Within the Kenya Post itself, there was little interest in the matter except for the frustrated front line staff who were to deal with dissatisfied customers. 

Why do I have to raise all these matters? Simple. Posta Kenya is the international mail hub and exchange centre for East & Central Africa. October to December is usually a peak month for mail postings. Delivery can continue all the way to February.  Kenya has in the past few months engaged in a military intervention in Somalia. Since then, Kenya has never been the same. There is general suspicion, unexplained explosions, security checks at public places and sensational media reports. While Kenyans businesses have made some effort to install CCTV camera and frisk their customers, the Government has not put any effort to secure our postal network. Are our security experts that naive? The Government watched as Posta staff went on strike at such a critical time in our history as a country. In an effort to offer limited services, management and casual staff had to sort and distribute mail with the attendant security risks. What this means is that there millions of packages that are being delivered locally and internationally in this period when the country is supposedly on high alert.

This is a wake up call for the Government to address National Security from a holistic point of view. Sending our troops across the border is one thing but securing our vital institutions is another.