By Peter Opiyo and Patrick Githinji

A 'mother of all operations' will be conducted in Nairobi's Eastleigh estate to flush out any suspected Al Shabaab members as the war against the militant group intensifies.

All flights and buses headed to and from regions bordering Somalia will also be screened to ensure that Kenyans are safe from any terrorist threats that may be posed by the Al Qaeda-linked group.

Internal Security Assistant Minister Orwa Ojodeh told Parliament that the war against the militant group is like fighting "a big animal with its main network in Kenya and only a fraction of it extending into Somalia".

"This is a big animal with its head in Eastleigh, Nairobi and the tail in Somalia," said Ojodeh, eliciting protests from MPs of Somali origin. Eastleigh is a sprawling business and residential hub in eastern part of Nairobi, predominantly occupied by Somalis.

"We will do a massive operation to get rid of Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda here in Nairobi and I request that the police be supported so that Kenyans are safe," said Ojodeh. "I know Kenyans might be uncomfortable with this, but after two weeks, things will be okay."

Wajir West MP Adan Keynan and Nominated MP Mohammed Affey, accused Ojodeh of trivialising the issue yet it was a matter of national security. But the minister accused them of not supporting the Government’s initiative to fight the militant group.

Discrimination

The two however said they supported the war but were unhappy with what they described as "discriminatory security measures."

"We support the war in Somalia but our people should not be discriminated. It is against the Constitution," said Dujis MP Adan Dualle.

But Ojodeh said the same Constitution called on the Government to protect the lives and property of its citizens and that was exactly what was being done.

Mandera East MP Mohammed Hussein accused the minister of targeting people from northern Kenya in flight restrictions but Ojodeh maintained that the restrictions were mandatory and would remain in place.

"I will never compromise on the security of any Kenyan. I will not remove those restrictions," Ojodeh said, amid foot-thumping from MPs.

He reiterated that flights headed to and from North Eastern, Upper Eastern, Upper Rift Valley and the northern Coast must obtain clearance certificates at no fee from the Kenya Police to operate.

Passengers would also be vetted and their identity verified. The clearance certificate would be operational for three months.

Ikolomani MP Bony Khalwale called on the Government to ensure that Somalis without IDs were not unfairly targeted in the operation as Yatta MP Charles Kilonzo and Affey called for vetting to be employed across the country.

Mr Hussein had expressed discomfort with the requirement that passengers headed to northern Kenya produce their IDs or passports at the airport.

criminal gangs

Keynan, who chairs the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations, accused the international community of failing to intervene in the Somalia crisis, saying they had left criminal gangs take advantage of the insecurity.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has said Kenya is not at war with Somalia. Instead, the VP described the country’s incursion into Somalia as "helping her neighbour to stabilise her security situation."

"The on-going operation by the Transitional Federal Government and the Kenyan military is aimed at guaranteeing the security of the people of Somalia, Kenyans and foreign visitors," Kalonzo said.

The Vice-President was speaking on Wednesday at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre while opening the two-day Magical Kenya Tourism and Travel Expo.