Kenyans assured of safety over festive season

Security agencies have assured Kenyans of safety during the festive season.

The Kenya Police and the military Saturday said security within the country and its borders had been beefed up ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Police spokesperson Eric Kiraithe said they will conduct regular and sporadic operations especially in crowded places including beaches, hotels, supermarkets and bus stops.

He said the police will also work closely with management of such establishments to guarantee the safety of revellers.

“We have made sure that Kenyans will enjoy the holiday without any security lapse,” Mr Kiraithe told journalists in Nairobi accompanied by the military spokesperson Cyrus Oguna.

Colonel Oguna said Kenyan troops pursuing Somalia militia Al-Shabaab had reported considerable success in Operation Linda Nchi.

He said the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) made air strikes in a command centre of the Al-Shabaab at Afmadow totally disintegrating their operations in the central sector this week.

Afmadow has been described as the gateway to the port town of Kismayu where a fierce encounter is anticipated between the troops and the Al-Shabaab forces.

He said the Kenya Airforce had also carried out air strikes in the areas of Gabragaso, Janabdala and Okosigo during the week "where hundreds of the Al-Shabaab were subdued".

The army had also intensified efforts to disrupt the militia economic lifeline by restricting their movement.

“Acting on intelligence gathered from the locals in the areas mentioned, we have been able to restore normalcy and the socio-economic activities of the people are picking up now," said Col Oguna.

Saturday marked the 62nd day since Kenya embarked on the mission to secure its borders.

“Kenya has surpassed its timeline in this mission. We have achieved a lot within a very short time,” Col Oguna noted.

Among the achievements of the forces, he said, were that local non-governmental organisations could now penetrate into areas where they were restricted earlier and offer aid.

“Things are getting back to normal,” he said, adding that economic activities as tourism had started to record an increasing number of visitors.

“We have been able to plan and execute attacks with testable accuracy while keeping collateral damage at zero.”

He noted that Kenya’s plan to join hands with the African Mission in Somalia (Amisom) troops was an advantage in bringing peace to the war-torn state.

“Our defence forces will still carry out their attack missions as effectively as they can while working with the Amisom in securing our border areas," said Col Oguna.

According to the deputy director Horn of Africa in the Foreign Affairs Ministry Lindsay Kiptiness, the request by the Great Lakes Conference last week in Kampala to increase troops to Amisom will help conquer the war.

“The United Nations Security Council should approve the expanding of the Amisom and fully endorse Operation Linda Nchi so that it now becomes a UN issue and not just Kenya’s,” he said.