Kenya Thwarts 47 Terror Attacks in Two Years – Mudavadi
Over the past two years, Kenya has successfully thwarted a total of 47 terrorist attacks, according to Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Mudavadi detailed significant progress made in counterterrorism efforts from January 2022 to November 2024, during which numerous terrorists were neutralized and 11 convictions secured. These achievements have been largely facilitated by training and equipment support received from various international agencies, including those from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, Japan, China, and South Korea.
Mudavadi notes that Kenya’s advancements in combating terrorism are reflected in the Global Terrorism Index, which saw the country’s score decrease from “very high” in 2023 to “medium” in 2024. He cautions that the planned attacks, which were foiled, aimed at civilians, critical national infrastructure, security establishments, and foreign entities.
Among the thwarted incidents were an attempted assault on a Border Patrol Unit camp and another on a General Service Unit patrol in Lamu. Additional operations in Lamu led to the arrest of suspected al-Shabaab militants, while authorities in Kwale successfully recovered firearms and prevented a robbery.
A counter-terrorism report dated January 9, 2024, indicated that pre-emptive intelligence-led operations had foiled up to 30 potential terrorist incidents. Most of these plots were linked to al-Shabaab and Daesh factions, as well as their affiliates, which include the Islamic State in Somalia, the Allied Democratic Forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Islamic State in Mozambique.
In a troubling historical context, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki reported in 2023 that at least 500 lives have been lost to terrorism in Kenya since the 1998 bombing of the American Embassy in Nairobi by al-Qaeda, which resulted in 213 fatalities, including 201 Kenyans and 12 Americans. Other significant terror attacks include the 2013 Westgate Mall attack, which resulted in 67 fatalities, and the 2015 Garissa University assault, which claimed the lives of 148 individuals, predominantly students.
The government has also authorized the nationwide deployment of speed cameras to monitor and enforce speed limits during the festive season, aiming to reduce road accidents. The Ministry of Interior and National Administration announced on Thursday that a multi-agency team of officers will oversee traffic compliance, with a focus on main highways and key routes. Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi highlights the importance of preserving safety, stating that all officers must be vigilant in monitoring and reporting breaches of road safety regulations.
This initiative aligns with the National Road Safety Goal of halving traffic fatalities by 2028. In addition to speed enforcement, the ministry has directed increased scrutiny on illegal and unlicensed public service vehicles (PSVs), emphasizing that vehicles failing to meet the standards set by the NTSA (Operation of PSV) Regulations of 2014 should not transport passengers.
Source » mwakilishi.com
