Terrorism: Why Kenyans should be afraid but alert

Mombasa residents get frisked at the entrance of a court. [Photo: File/Standard]

BY PROTUS ONYANGO

KENYA: Al Shabaab militia’s long shadow looms over Kenya, not just because of its confessed link to the Westgate Mall terror attack but also subsequent threats to turn Kenya’s towns into ‘rivers of blood’.

Terrorism experts and local security agencies are worried that things could get worse unless vigilance and surveillance levels are enhanced because its condition for cessation of terror activities is Kenya Defence Forces’ pull-out from Somalia.

However, last week after the attack President Uhuru declared Kenya would only pull out once Somalia has a stable, effective and proper government of its own.

After the Westgate Mall attack on September 21, Al Shabaab took to twitter to issue more threats. The threats were chilling, but the state of preparedness among security agencies and level of alertness among members of the public, especially in towns other than Nairobi and Mombasa, which have experienced terrorism attacks, should be cause for more worry.

Kenya’s confrontation with the Al-Shabaab could also get more furious given that after the latest terror attack in Nairobi, US government attacked suspected base of a senior Al-Shabaab members inside Somalia.

In what could paint the place of Kenya on the international terrorism map, the US agents also struck Libya and arrested Abu Anas al-Libi, who has been on its top wanted list since 1998 terrorist attack in Nairobi and Tanzania.

Next attack

Tweets from people thought to be associated with Al Shabaab said the next attack would be through chemical weapons targeting such sensitive public facilities such as water sources and collection points. They also boasted they have agents in every part of Kenya who are waiting for instructions to launch attacks. Security forces are not taking the threats issued by Al Shabaab lightly because they have a history of bloodletting on Kenyan soil, some even targeting children and students.

“The UN is investigating the use of chemicals used in killing people in Syria and given our porous borders, some of the weapons could get here,” warned Mr Simiyu Werunga, the Chief Executive Officer of African Centre for Security and Strategic Studies.

However, Mr Moses Ombati, the Nairobi Deputy Police Commander explains that police are doing its best to secure the county and Kenya in general. “We are working round the clock to ensure that Kenyans and our visitors enjoy their freedom. We have intensified patrols and put our officers on high alert,” Mr Ombati said.

Analysts now say that Kenya misread the threats posed by Al-Shabaab because KDF thought chasing them from Kismayo was enough to stop their threats. “The first misreading lay in the thinking that toppling Al-Shabaab from Kismayo and subsequently declaring victory would wipe it from the terrorists’ map. On the contrary, it opened a Pandora’s Box in which Al-Shabaab retreated back into society and re-established itself as a guerrilla force able to strike back,” explains Abdihakim Ainte in an article posted on Africanarguments.org

The lack of properly understanding Al Shabaab aside, Kenyans’ ways of doing things also exposes them to more threats. Even after the Westgate attack, shopping malls, recreational areas and social joints are jammed with large crowds without noticeable security improvements.

Guard against

Vital installations like water dams, bridges, and institution like universities, stadiums, colleges and schools are unguarded. So are power installations and major hospitals.

The failure of the police to lock down the city immediately after the Westgate Mall attack also betrays the lack of sophistication in how Kenyan forces deal with terror threats. Experts now warn that Kenyans must guard against attacks by terrorists targeting learning institutions, churches, mosques, courts, shopping malls, markets and stadiums. Last week, a graduation ceremony at St Paul’s University in Limuru was interrupted after police officers evacuated the congregation over a terror threat. The event was temporarily halted to allow security officers to counter check the threats to secure the safety of those present.

Among the dignitaries present were Education Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi and the Anglican Church’s Archbishop Eliud Wabukhala.

The terrorist threats come at a time Kenya is about to host a Cecafa football tournament.

The threats are real at weddings, cinema halls, bars, public transport vehicles and other social places. The fears are further heightened by Al-Shabaab’s mode of operation in Somalia where its adherents attacked a college and a court in Somalia killing students and people in the court.

Intelligence sources also say that the Al-Shabaab terrorists have links with Boko Haram militants in Nigeria who are known for bombing colleges and churches.

Observers fear that since some of Al-Shabaab’s leaders come from Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, no one can rule out that they could have access to chemical weapons.

Intelligence agencies are convinced that Al Qaeda affiliate groups in Africa and Middle East have accessed the chemical weapons that were looted by Al Qaeda fighters who ousted and killed former Libyan leader Muammar Gadhaffi.

Traffic Commandant Mr Samuel Kimaru appealed to the public to report any persons they see as engaging in suspicious activities.

The terror attacks in Nairobi were a betrayal of the fact that KDF incursion into Somalia was the biggest blow to Al-Shabaab because they didn’t show so much anger when dislodged them from other regions.

Though Ethiopia entered Somalia like Kenya, it is reported Al-Shabaab has not been keen to retaliate on its soil for fear of dire consequences which some claim they do not expect from home of KDF.

One of the reasons why Kenya sent its forces into Somalia was to protect its tourism industry but as the Westgate siege came to an end, Al-Shabaab issued new threats some saying that it would launch attacks to hurt the industry.