Locals of Eastleigh, Nairobi, were on Thursday, September 23, 2021, sent into panic after a suspicious letter was left in the lift of the five-storey Yare Plaza, one of the largest shopping malls in the area.
The letter indicated that there was a bomb left inside the building.
Starehe Sub-County Police Commander Julius Kiragu while confirming the incident, stated that bomb experts had been deployed into the building to search for the explosive device and disarm it, if located.
The letter further indicated that the bomb had been timed to go off anytime from 1pm. Tenants and shoppers had been evacuated from the busy mall by the time of publishing.
This comes days the country and security agencies commemorated eight years since four masked gunmen walked into the Westgate Mall and launched an attack on innocent and unarmed shoppers, and as a result, numerous lives were lost that dreadful day.
The police noted that the incident dealt law enforcement a period of reflection and dire need to strengthen the capacity of the service.
The National Police Service (NPS) revealed that since the tragic incident, the force has employed over 40,000 new officers. This added to the 24,000 additional Administration Police officers deployed into General Duty after the recent NPS merger, improving numbers in the service immensely.
NPS further noted that over the course of the last eight years, they have enhanced police presence in our security installations across the country.
“Further, the Service installed a reliable surveillance system in major towns and cities and procured modern security equipment. We have also improved individual capacities of police officers and stakeholders by training of police reservists, enhanced training to special units, decentralization of special units to counties, sector-based highway patrols with a seamless command, police escorts in insecure areas, provision of ordinary police vehicles and specialized carriers.
“Our investment in community policing and nyumba kumi initiative has also enhanced cooperation between police and the public. So far this has continued to build trust and has led to more information on terror and organized crime from the public,” the statement read in part.
NPS has also unveiled a robust and grassroots countering of violent extremism by networking with communities in preventing terrorism and building resilience in communities.
According to the service, unlike in the past, multi-agency cooperation within the security apparatuses improved. This coupled with an efficient command structure and intelligence led approaches has greatly enhanced our operational readiness.