Nairobi, March 2 -- Let us be guarded in our expectations of the ongoing security intervention in northern Kenya. This is a tough task. Often, pep talk in social places on this matter is grossly misplaced.

Perhaps because many may not be able to correctly fathom the lifestyle in this arid and semi-arid region.

The place is vast. For comparative reflection, the territory defined by Garissa, Isiolo, Laikipia, Samburu, Baringo and West Pokot counties, and those to their north, is close to two-thirds of the Republic of Kenya territory.

That territory is hot and dry, and, in most places, the terrain is rugged.

Infrastructure, be it roads, power, water, schools or hospitals, is thin. Once here and away from the main urban centres, one is in...