Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere has said intelligence shows the Somalia militant group al-Shabaab has threatened to carry out violent attacks on certain targets including shopping malls, places of worship, government buildings and recreational areas but police are on high alert April 21, 2011. FILE
By PAUL JUMA and ZADOCK ANGIRA
Posted Friday, April 22 2011 at 10:17
Posted Friday, April 22 2011 at 10:17
Kenya police have issued a terror alert targeting major population centres during the Easter period.
According to intelligence, the Somalia militant group al-Shabaab has threatened to carry out violent attacks on certain targets including "shopping malls, places of worship, government buildings and recreational areas," said a statement.
The Commissioner of Police Mathew Iteere, however, assured the public that in conjunction with other security services, the police have taken measures to improve security in and around these possible targets.
Measures put in place include increasing security surveillance patrols.
“As part of community policing, we are advising the management of all the places mentioned and other places where a large number of public is admitted to enhance to enhance their security measures during this festive season,” he said.
Mr Iteere said police were on the alert.
“In conjunction with other security services, we have taken measures to improve security in and around the possible targets by among others increasing security surveillance patrols.”
Mr Iteere encouraged the public to cooperate with security organs and report any suspicious activities, adding that such cooperation had improved the flow of information between the public and police on criminal activities.
Kenya and the rest of East Africa continue to live in fear of possible attacks by the al-Shaabab following previous attacks in Kenya and Uganda.
On the night of July 11 last year, the terror group, which is believed to have links with the Al-Qaeda, carried out a twin-attack on Ugandan venues where football fans were watching the World Cup finals.
The attacks, which targeted an Ethiopian restaurant in Kabalagala and a rugby club in Kyadondo, left 76 people dead and several others injured.
And in Nairobi, two people were killed and 41 got injured in a late-evening grenade explosion next to a Kampala-bound bus.
And as police were issuing the terror alert on Thursday, Public Health and Sanitation minister Beth Mugo urged those travelling to observe utmost caution while on the road.
The minister said that human error was the cause of 80 per cent of accidents on the road, with speed being the leading factor.
“These grim statistics is a matter of major public health concern given that most of our health facilities at the best of times have more patients than they can handle.
“The thousands who get injured and sometimes maimed for life end up in health facilities that are already overstretched,” she said.
About 3,000 people die annually due to road accidents. According to the minister, these accidents could be easily avoided if motorists exercised caution and obeyed traffic rules.
Specifically, she appealed to drivers of public passenger vehicles and heavy trucks. Seventy per cent of these vehicles are usually driven at speeds above the allowed limits according to a recent study by the ministry, she added.
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