NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 21– Kenya is commemorating 11 years since four masked gunmen breached Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi’s Westlands area and launched a large-scale attack which left at least 67 dead and over 100 injured.
The assailants allied to the Somalia-based Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militant group, stormed the mall with a barrage of gunfire and grenades, indiscriminately targeting shoppers, staff, and patrons.
The attack unfolded at one of Nairobi’s premier shopping centers, which housed a variety of businesses, including shops, restaurants, and recreational facilities.
During the 2013 incident, the attackers battled with the Kenyan security forces for four days in one of the country’s deadliest attacks since the August 1998 US Embassy bombing.
The Al-Shabaab militants said that they targeted Kenya in response to its deployment of the military to Somalia to counter a rising insurgency that saw a number of tourists abducted from the Kenyan coast.
Confusion over command structures among multi-agency security teams hampered efforts to swiftly neutralize the attackers.
This led to delays in rescue operations and, most notably, accusations of looting by some security personnel during the siege.
During the four-day siege, Kenyan forces were put on the spot when some of them were captured on CCTV footage looting from the facility while conducting an operation that was designed to rescue Kenyans from the hands of ruthless terrorists who rejoiced for striking right at the heart of Kenya’s capital.
Terror convictions
On June 29, the High Court in Milimani on upheld the conviction and sentencing of two individuals charged in connection with the Westgate Mall attack.
Lady Justice Grace Nzioka ruled that the evidence presented by the prosecution against Mohamed Ahmed Abdi and Hussein Hassan Mustafa, as analyzed by the trial court, was sufficient to support the charges against them.
The two were convicted of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, with Abdi additionally charged with being in possession of an article connected to a terrorism offense.
However, the High Court acquitted them of the charge of providing support to a terrorist group.
“Following the testimony of 46 prosecution witnesses, the trial court sentenced the two to 18 years each for the offense of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, and Abdi to 15 years for the offense of being in possession of an article connected with terrorism,” stated the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
Lady Justice Nzioka upheld the sentence and the trial court’s order that the sentences run consecutively.
Alert
The 11th anniversary comes at a time when the country has been placed on high alert over fears of attacks in the country.
On September 14, Embassy in Nairobi issued a security alert urging its citizens to exercise “increased caution.”
The alert disclosed that locations commonly visited by U.S. citizens, other foreigners, and tourists in Nairobi and across Kenya could be potential targets for terrorist activity.
Consequently, the Embassy advised its citizens to exercise caution in areas such as hotels, embassies, restaurants, malls, markets, schools, police stations, and places of worship, as these locations may be potential targets for terrorist attacks.
“Terrorist groups could attack with little or no warning,” read in part the alert.
The U.S. Embassy stressed the importance of its citizens staying vigilant and adjusting their personal security plans.
Citizens were also advised to review security measures, stay informed through local media, avoid protest areas, crowds, and demonstrations, and maintain a low profile.
The embassy also stated heightened concerns around key anniversaries of past terrorist attacks, such as September 11, the Westgate Mall attack on September 21, and the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, warning that attacks could occur at any time.
The security alert coicided with the commemoration of the 9/11 attacks, a global event honoring the nearly 3,000 lives lost, and the many others affected.
Security reforms
In the years following the attack, the Kenyan government undertook significant reforms to overhaul its security apparatus.
A multi-agency command structure was created to ensure better coordination in response to complex security challenges.
The success of the radical reform was demonstrated on January 15, 2019, when Al-Qaeda-linked extremists launched a similar attack on the DusitD2 Hotel complex on Riverside Drive, Nairobi.
Unlike the Westgate attack, the response from the security agencies was swift and well-coordinated.
The security agencies led by the elite General Service Unit (GSU) RECCE squad rescued more than 700 civilians and neutralized the assailants in less than two days.
Though the Dusit attack left at least 21 civilians dead, Kenyan forces were praised both at home and abroad for the way they handled the entire operation.
Since the Westgate tragedy, Kenya has worked to improve its counterterrorism capabilities.
Hardware modernisation
On May 14, Kenya received the second batch of police equipment as part of the ongoing efforts to enhance the capabilities of internal security agencies in the country.
Speaking when he received Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), at the Port of Mombasa, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said the security equipment will play a critical role in boosting front-line operations.
Kindiki said the realization of durable peace, security, and stability requires an accelerated and “non-compromising” posture on all threats to the country’s national security, which he said is key to the realization of economic development.
“Each new arrival of modern security equipment brings us a step closer to the actualization of the vision of a safer Kenya where the public is protected from the fear of criminal groups of whatever description,” he said.
To defeat terror, banditry and other organised violent criminal enterprises in the country, Kindiki said that the government is undertaking Sh37 billion 5-year Police Equipment Modernisation (PEM) program.
The Interior CS stated that modern equipment will further equip, protect and minimize the exposure of frontline security personnel.
Private sector security
To further enhance its security preparedness, Kenya has since embarked on a number of interventions including streamlining the private security sector in bid to integrate it with the national security architecture in the wake of emerging security threats across the country.
Last year, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said that coordination between law enforcement agencies and the private security sector is critical in confronting emerging crimes such as terrorism and related crimes.
He stated that utilizing private security agents is essential to enhancing the country’s overall security as well as safeguard citizens lives.
“We acknowledge the private security sector for plugging into our national security architecture. We have set about streamlining the industry, which has not only elevated our overall security infrastructure, but also spurred significant job creation and contributed to economic growth,” Omollo said.
Source: capitalfm
