The US government has issued a warning to its citizens to watch out for possible attacks by militant groups in Nairobi and elsewhere in Kenya.
Its embassy in Nairobi said locations that it is frequented by its citizens and other foreigners and tourists in the capital and other parts of the country are targets for terrorists planning to carry out attacks.
Terrorist groups could attack hotels, embassies, restaurants, malls and markets, schools, police stations, places of worship, and other places frequented by foreigners and tourists with little or no warning, the statement on its website reads.
The US noted that the Kenyan government increased counterterrorism patrols to foil such attacks.
Since the DusitD 2 attack on January 15, 2019, there has been no major attack in Nairobi. 21 people dead and dozens more injured, according to a report from the DusitD 2 complex attack on January 15.
In January 2020, Al Shabaab attacked the Manda Bay Airbase, a military facility in Lamu manned by Kenyan and American forces, which left three Americans, a soldier and two US Department of Defence DoD contractors dead. Two other US service members and a third DoD contractor were injured.
The US Embassy asked its citizens to exercise vigilance at high profile locations, review their security plans and check the local media for updates.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki revealed recently that the government forces have disrupted many terror plots at source, neutralized or arrested dozens of suspected terrorists.
Prof Kindiki said a huge cache of weapons and explosives had been intercepted and destroyed after he was in office for 100 days on Monday.
The current crack down on Al-Shabaab terror cells in Somalia spearheaded by local community leaders with the support of the Federal Government of Somalia has weakened this militant group, Prof Kindiki.
The CS said the government has stepped up border patrols and increased surveillance to thwart any attacks.
The 6,000 police officers who have joined the National Police Service in the last 100 days guarantees the sustainability of the fight against crime. The officers will be deployed to security hotspots across the country to further protect the security of our people and their property, Prof Kindiki said.