KENYA: Security on red alert over terror threats

  1. Posted on Wednesday 2 March 2011 - 10:57
    CHANNY
    Image of CHANNY
    Alex Kiarie, AfricaNews reporter in Nairobi, Kenya Photo credit: Adow Mohamed
    The Kenyan security apparatus is on high alert over what the police commissioner has termed as eminent attacks from the Somali terror group Al-shabaab. Speaking in Nairobi amid heightened security along the Kenya-Somalia border, the commissioner, Mathew Iteere, called on Kenyans to be extra careful while in social places and public vehicles' terminal.
    Eastleigh estate in Kenya Photo: Adow Mohamed
    Late last week, the war between the Al-Shabaab on one side and the joint forces of the Africa Union peacekeepers and the Somali Transitional Government spilled over into the Kenyan territory that saw one Kenyan killed from the mortars and bombs from the Somali side.

    It is alleged that the Al-Shabaab ventured into the Kenyan border town of Mandera and terrorised the local residents as they were being pursued by the Ethiopian troops who had repulsed them from the Bulla Hawa town in Somalia. Al-Shabaab had ambushed the TFG soldiers returning home from Ethiopia for training.

    Bulla Hawa lies near the borders of Kenya and Somalia. Indeed, a local Tv station, Citizen TV posted photos of suspected members of Al-Shabaab cruising in a residential area in Mandera town in Land Cruiser trucks. But the government has denied the reports and declined to substantiate these reports. Calls by this AfricaNews reporter to the Ministry of Internal Security went unanswered.

    On Monday, Iteere had called a press conference and called on Kenyans to be vigilant as the threat from Al-Shabaab was being taken seriously. He also added that the military presence along the Kenya-Somali border had been increased. “I want to take this opportunity to assure the public that in conjunction with other security services, we have taken measures to provide adequate security. However, we wish to advice those responsible for security in shopping malls, hotels, and all other social places where the public is admitted, to be more vigilant at this time," he added.

    On Monday, the Al-Shabaab issued a warning that its fighters would launch attacks on the Kenyan soil for what they termed as Kenya's training of the TFG soldiers. "Kenya has constantly disturbed us and now it should face the consequences of allowing Ethiopian troops to attack us from Mandera town," al-Shaabab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohmud Rage told a news conference.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive