Security operation to be intensified, says President Kenyatta

A section of the Reef Beach Hotel in Mombasa destroyed by a blast on May 3, 2014. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT

What you need to know:

  • President Kenyatta praises the country's security agencies, saying they had already prevented several attacks

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said the ongoing security operation in the country will be intensified and condemned Saturday night's twin blasts in Mombasa that killed four people.

In a statement released on Sunday, President Kenyatta called for Kenyans to remain calm and vigilant in the wake of the attack.

"My heart goes out to the families of the bereaved. My government will give them every support. I must thank the emergency services, the police and ordinary Kenyans who reacted to the attacks with exemplary compassion and composure," read the statement.

"Since independence, Kenyans have enjoyed freedom of worship and religion. The terrorists would like a war of religion, bringing to an end our history of tolerance," the statement continued.

"This country will not allow it. The terrorists will be treated as the vicious criminals they are, and our tradition of easy coexistence will be maintained.

"The terrorists will be treated as the vicious criminals they are, and our tradition of easy coexistence will be maintained... My government’s pursuit of extremists and their agents will continue; under law, it will be intensified. Those who chose to murder innocents will be defeated."

President Kenyatta also praised the country's security agencies, saying they had already prevented several attacks.

"Let me commend the security agencies for their persistence. They have already thwarted a number of attempted attacks. They will receive the further support that they need to keep us safe," the statement read.

The President asked Kenyans to assist the government in its efforts to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice by assisting the police and security agencies with information.

Saturday's blasts were the latest in a series of attacks this year. On April 23, two police men were killed as they escorted a vehicle that had been intercepted at a roadblock to Pangani Police Station in Nairobi. On March 31, six people were killed and dozens others seriously injured in blasts in Nairobi's Eastleigh estate and on March 23, gunmen stormed a church in Likoni, killing two people on the spot, with four others succumbing to injuries in hospital.

Last week, the government deployed 700 security personnel to the Coast to help deal with insecurity in the region.