Kenya calls US, UK terror alerts ‘ completely unfortunate’

The Kenyan government has described as “completely unfortunate” the terror alerts issued by the United States and the United Kingdom, but urged Kenyans to remain vigilant even as it celebrated the country’s success in battling Al-Shabaab.

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said the country was recording major success in battling the Al-Qaeda-linked terror group.

“Unilateral terror alerts are completely unfortunate but the circumstances under which they have been issued is due to pressure Al-Shabaab are feeling in Somalia from the combined efforts of Somali administration, community and our troops. They are actually on the run and it is believed that some may have crossed into our borders,” Dr Sing’oei said.

“Therefore, the basis of that kind of intelligence is what has led to pre-cautionary terror alerts. It is not a red alert on an impeding thing. This is just to make people aware of their environment like over-crowded places. The effect of this alert is that this administration has beefed up security levels in critical installations like public places,” he added.

Possible attacks

Through its embassies in Nairobi, the US and the UK said that terrorist groups could stage an attack with little or no warning, targeting areas with many people.

The US has flagged high traffic areas frequented by foreigners and tourists in Nairobi and elsewhere in Kenya as targets for terror groups.

“Terrorist groups could attack with little or no warning, targeting hotels, embassies, restaurants, malls and markets, schools, police stations, places of worship, and other places frequented by foreigners and tourists,” part of the statement reads.

Be extremely vigilant

And Britain, in its periodic updates on travel advice, cautioned its nationals to be extremely vigilant in the areas mentioned in the US advisory.

On 9 February, the US Embassy issued an alert saying that “locations frequented by US citizens and other foreigners and tourists in Nairobi and elsewhere in Kenya continue to be attractive targets to terrorists planning to conduct potentially imminent attacks…The government of Kenya has increased counter-terrorism patrols”.

However, both the UK and US acknowledged security measures that the Kenyan government has put in place, including counter-terrorism patrols.

This comes barely a month after the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, issued a security alert to its citizens over what it termed as a possible attack. In a notice dated January 25, the US Embassy claimed that terror groups were planning to carry out an attack in high traffic areas frequented by Westerners in Dar es Salaam and elsewhere in Tanzania.