Officer killed by Al Shabab

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 20 - A General Service Unit officer has been shot and killed by suspected Al-Shabab militia at Liboi, along Kenya’s border with Somalia.

Sources at Police Headquarters said the officer was gunned down while on patrol in the company of another officer.

A major security offensive was immediately mounted in the area

Kenya has been on a heightened alert after last week's attacks in Kampala, Uganda which left 76 people dead. The Al-Shabab militia claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Security has, in the meantime, been heightened at Jogoo House in Nairobi following a bomb scare late on Monday.

Capital News witnessed vehicles and people entering both Jogoo House 'A' and 'B' being vetted thoroughly on Tuesday, before being allowed to enter the offices.

Jogoo 'A' houses the Ministries of Education and Higher Education while 'B' houses the Local Government Ministry, the Kenya News Agency and the Office of the Vice President and Home Affairs Ministry.

Both entries and exits were manned by armed prisons officers who were seen screening vehicles.

"We are not taking chances at all. We are under instructions to ensure there is enough security here after yesterday' [Monday] bomb scare," one security guard said.

At the receptions of both buildings, visitors were strictly required to deposit their national identity cards with security officials before proceeding to their destinations within the buildings.

"It is not the first time we are doing this, but this time round we are being strict because there was a scare here yesterday," another security official said.

The officers explained how they were ordered to evacuate everyone in the buildings late on Monday after word went round that there was a bomb planted in one of the offices at Jogoo House 'B'.