Wednesday October 27, 2021
ByBRUHAN MAKONG
Ugandan police members secure the scene of an explosion in Komamboga, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Kampala, Uganda October 24, 2021. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 27 – Kenya is on high alert following recent bomb attacks in the neighbouring Uganda which authorities there linked to terrorism.
On Monday, two people were killed and several injured in the country following a bus explosion at Mpigi District in central Uganda.
Ugandan police confirmed Tuesday that the Monday attack was staged by a jihadist from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) group.
The attack came barely two days after another bomb attack at a restaurant in Kampala which left one dead.
Speaking to Capital FM on Tuesday, Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso said that the government has taken several measures to prevent the occurrence of such an incident in Kenya.
“We are aware and we have taken cognizance that our sister country (Uganda) was attacked, it is very unfortunate. As a country and as neighbours there is so much, we could have done about it and we are alert. We have taken all the measures that I cannot discuss for security reasons, they are very confidential. As we know in Kenya, we have some levels of leadership in terms of counter terrorism,” said Shioso.
He added that the government has boosted security along the border areas and secured all the critical infrastructure in efforts to prevent attacks in the country.
“I assure Kenyans that they are safe and that the security is very tight and we are on top of things, hence there is no cause for alarm,” he added.
Kenya has suffered a brunt of terrorist attacks from Somalia-based rag tag militia Al-Shabaab since it launched a military offensive against the terror group in October 2011, in what was dubbed “Operation Linda Nchi,”.
Speaking during the commemoration of Mashujaa Day celebrations on October 20, President Uhuru Kenyatta further stated that the transformation of security sector in the country including the military has been among his administration’s key agenda.
“This visible transformation of our security organs has been done in honour of their sacred national duty of defending our sovereignty, maintaining our territorial integrity, securing our borders, and preserving our cherished freedoms and our way of life. As an affirmation of this, today, Kenya’s police to population ratio is at its highest level in our history, and is higher than the U.N. prescribed standard,” President Kenyatta stated.
He further pointed out that his administration had rolled out a successful campaign over the years to modernize the military in a bid to guarantee the security of the country.
“In the last eight years we have undertaken the most consequential and expansive modernization of our military in our nation’s history. We continue to tool and re-retool our security resources to the highest standards so as to keep our people safe and secure,” he said.