Nairobi attacked again after nearly four years of calm

Close to four years of calm shattered as killers strike at hotel in city

Yesterday, Nairobi was struck by terrorists again, making it the 105th terror-related attack in the country since Kenya entered Somalia to fight Al Shabaab.

The attack, which came nearly four years after the Garissa University tragedy in April 2015, promises to destroy the relative calm that the country has enjoyed since the Government put in place mechanisms to rein in the assaults.

After being contained for several years, the terror gang seems to have planned yesterday's attack to coincide with the January 15, 2016 El Adde attack in Somalia that saw hundreds of militants killed.

The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) entered Somalia on October 14, 2011 after incessant threats in the country, a decision that has made the country a target for retaliatory attacks by the terrorist group.

Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack in Nairobi.

The attack is likely to slow down the recovery of the tourism industry, which has enjoyed steady growth in the past three years.

An analysis of terror data compiled by The Standard from both official Government records and public sources shows that Al Shabaab seem to have focused its attention on nine counties due to either their proximity to the Somali border or prominence in the country. Except for Nairobi, the counties either share a border with Somalia or the Indian Ocean.

Schools, churches, Christian crusades, police stations, refugee camps, bus stations, vehicles, hotels, nightclubs and a shopping mall are some of the areas targeted by Al Shabaab.

A study released by South Africa's Institute of Security Studies suggests that Kenya's response to terrorism may have aggravated the crisis and that many Muslim youths have joined extremist groups in reaction to the Government's collective punishment and assassination of religious leaders.