Uganda on high alert after Kenya attack

Kampala. Ugandan security forces have heightened security on the borders with Kenya, saying “the country is on high alert and standby” following a suspected terrorist attack in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, that reportedly claimed scores of lives with several others injured.

The Somalia-based extremist group, al-Shaabab, with links to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility and said its “members are still fighting inside.”
“We are behind the attack in Nairobi. The operation is going on. We shall give details later,” Abdiasis Abu Musab al-Shabaab’s military operations spokesperson told Reuters.

A witness at the scene told Daily Nation “We have no idea what is happening. Gunshots are coming from multiple directions.”
Gen Elly Tumwine, Uganda’s Security minister, who was reluctant to talk about the events in Kenya, said as a county, they are on standby and ready to respond to any eventually.
Though he said it would be premature to call it a terror attack, they cannot relax the security in Uganda.

“Have you confirmed that it is a terror attack? I don’t want to be part of speculations. As a country, we are always on standby and alert about terror. We have been victims before and we are always prepared, but we cannot start speculating on what is happening in Kenya. We need to get conclusive report from the Kenyan authorities before we begin commenting,” Gen Tumwine said.
Brigadier Richard Karemire, Uganda People’s Defence Forces spokesperson, told Daily Monitor as the army, they are ever ready to respond to any terror threat at anytime.

He said the country has been sensitising the citizens about terrorism and everyone is aware.
“Uganda security forces have always been on alert aware of the threat terrorism poses. The public is always sensitised on need to remain vigilant,” Brig Karemire said.
Mr Patrick Onyango, the outgoing deputy police spokesperson, said the security level in the country has gone to class one following that Nairobi attack.

“We have with immediate effect put our counter terrorism officers on standby class one. As we speak, they are patrolling areas we perceive to be terror black spots. We are not taking the terror attack light, we have put in place a quick response team in case of any eventuality,” Mr Onyango said.

He said police usually follows terror patterns to ward-off likely terror attacks.
Mr Onyango also said police had already alerted the police anti-terror squad and all its personnel at the border to detect any criminal elements that might try to enter Uganda in the wake of this terror attack in Nairobi.
He urged urged the public not to panic but be on the lookout for any terrorists that might take advantage of the situation.
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