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File | NATION
Security officers screen motorists at Kiembeni
Catholic Church
in Kisauni, Mombasa. Police have warned
Al-Shabaab
militants may target places of worship, shopping malls
and hotels this
festive season.
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Churches, hotels and shopping malls in
Kenyan are among social places being provided with blanket security in an
effort to prevent a terrorist attack this festive season.
Security services are at an unprecedented
state of alert amid reports that Al-Shabaab, the Somali terrorist group, has
dispatched bomb makers and assassins to eliminate Defence Minister Yusuf Haji
and National Assembly Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim.
Interviews with various security officials
revealed that a detailed operational plan was sent to commanders of security
agencies on Wednesday.
The plan includes a guide to officers
on terrorism prevention, detection and how to act in case of an emergency.
New measures have resulted in the security
of selected ordinary public places being upgraded, albeit temporarily, to the
status known in security parlance as “vital installations.”
Normally, vital installations would,
among others, include airports, military barracks, police stations and foreign
missions in Kenya.
This means the newly upgraded areas
will be provided with the same level of security as the sensitive
installations.
The new entrants into this category
include some churches, hotels, selected entertainment joints, shopping malls as
well as some media houses.
While the Nation could not establish the places that
have been upgraded, an officer conversant with the arrangements mentioned a
number of entertainment joints which are frequented by foreigners and shopping
malls in upmarket city suburbs.
Vital installations are guarded by
armed police officers and round-the-clock security surveillance done by teams
of specially trained officers, mostly from the General Service Unit. Elite
units from different security formations have been put on alert.
The operational plan also provides for
joint command centres from which the different security agents would be
coordinated in case of an emergency.
Emergency services have been on standby with rescue helicopters, ambulances, hospitals and volunteer services taking part.
Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said it
was normal for State security to be accorded not only in places perceived to be
under threat, but also to individuals “who have cause to fear for their
well-being.”
“Police protection is always given to
any person or even place under threat,” he said.
He added: “The management of such
places is usually informed but in some cases it’s not. In such places, access
by persons and vehicles must be controlled and surveillance maintained
throughout.”
The new measures were put in place as it
emerged that Al-Shabaab had entered the country and were targeting two senior
government officials from North Eastern Province for elimination.
According to a letter seen by the Nation, those targeted by
the Somali insurgents are Mr Haji and Mr Maalim.
A letter from the permanent secretary
in charge of Provincial Administration and Internal Security, Mr Francis
Kimemia to North Eastern PC James ole Seriani said the Al-Shabaab operatives
targeting the two entered the country on December 13.
“We have received information a group
of Al-Shabaab operatives were dispatched from Lower Juba area in Somalia to
Ijara and Lagdera constituencies on 13.12.11, with a brief to assassinate
Minister Yussuf Haji and Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim,” said the letter.
It adds that the militia had also
dispatched some unidentified explosives experts from Buale area in Somalia, to
attack Habaswein and Elwak markets in Wajir and Mandera, respectively.
“Al-Shabaab appears determined to continue
pursuing targets in Kenya. You should continue with security vigilance to deter
infiltration and also apprise (sic) the targeted officials of the new and
persisting threats,” the letter titled “Situation
Report” noted.
Al-Shabaab has, in the recent past,
taken its propaganda to social media platforms like Twitter where they post
messages threatening to attack both US and Kenyan interests.
On Monday, American officials said
they are considering how to respond to Al-Shabaab’s use of Twitter.
The Somali militants have used their
recently established Twitter account to boast about their actions and to taunt
the Kenyan troops that entered the war-torn country in October.
US officials say they are concerned
that Al-Shabaab’s Twitter messages, sent mostly in English, could attract
recruits inside the United States.
Several Americans are known to have joined Al-Shabaab, with a few reported to have carried out suicide missions.
Several Americans are known to have joined Al-Shabaab, with a few reported to have carried out suicide missions.
US authorities believe they may have
legal authority to insist that Twitter, a private company based in San
Francisco, close the Al-Shabaab account, which has close to 5,000 followers.
Trigger opposition
But such a move could trigger
opposition on the grounds that the US government is violating the right to free
speech.
The Obama administration has distanced
itself from Kenya’s move into Somalia although it is believed to be supplying
Kenyan forces with intelligence assistance.
In Coast, a central command is manned
round the clock by officers from all agencies, including the police, military
and the National Security Intelligence Service.
The base has detachments in
Mombasa, Malindi, Kyunga and on sea where the Navy has taken control beyond the
Kenyan waters into Somalia territory.
Besides the police and the
military, a number of private security companies in urban centres have also
been included in the new plan.
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