Three recent incidents in which some suspects were arrested in different places are a clear signal that the country must sustain its vigilance against terror. On Friday night, police in Bomet intercepted a vehicle laden with explosives in what they believe was part of a terror plot targeting Nairobi. Then there was the Madaraka Day arrest of a man at Narok and the seizing of two suspects in a hotel in Nairobi.

With the suspects now in custody, the security personnel should be able to obtain some useful intelligence on who these people are, what exactly they were up to, and who they might have been involved with. It’s instructive that officers from the specialised Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) are holding two suspects arrested on Tuesday. The one seized in Narok, reportedly had some fake military identification papers, and the security personnel must by now have made some progress in unravelling this particular case. It’s worrying as it is possible that the top national leadership, which attended the Madaraka fete, could have been the target.

The security organs deserve kudos for moving with utmost speed and ensuring that nothing nasty happened. It confirms that our security agencies are not just well-trained and experienced enough to combat this threat, but are also further sharpening their skills.

These recent incidents also show that the terrorists are continually changing their tactics. This calls for extra vigilance to spot any signs of terrorists infiltrating certain places by pretending to be what they are not. The hotel suspects, for instance, were picked up after some suspicious actions alerted staff to possible ulterior motives. Homegrown terrorists also often take advantage of their knowledge of the people and the places they plan to attack.

Terrorism is a global menace that calls for increased co-operation and a regular exchange of intelligence between our country and others. They include the US, whose embassy in Nairobi recently issued an alert to Americans living in or visiting Kenya to remain vigilant as terrorists tend to carry out attacks during Ramadhan. Although the northeastern region continues to suffer more frequent attacks by Al-Shabaab, in the rest of the country there have been fewer incidents recently. Increased vigilance and solidarity are needed to stop the terrorists.

Three recent incidents in which some suspects were arrested in different places are a clear signal that the country must sustain its vigilance against terror. On Friday night, police in Bomet intercepted a vehicle laden with explosives in what they believe was part of a terror plot targeting Nairobi. Then there was the Madaraka Day arrest of a man at Narok and the seizing of two suspects in a hotel in Nairobi.

With the suspects now in custody, the security personnel should be able to obtain some useful intelligence on who these people are, what exactly they were up to, and who they might have been involved with. It’s instructive that officers from the specialised Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) are holding two suspects arrested on Tuesday. The one seized in Narok, reportedly had some fake military identification papers, and the security personnel must by now have made some progress in unravelling this particular case. It’s worrying as it is possible that the top national leadership, which attended the Madaraka fete, could have been the target.

The security organs deserve kudos for moving with utmost speed and ensuring that nothing nasty happened. It confirms that our security agencies are not just well-trained and experienced enough to combat this threat, but are also further sharpening their skills.

These recent incidents also show that the terrorists are continually changing their tactics. This calls for extra vigilance to spot any signs of terrorists infiltrating certain places by pretending to be what they are not. The hotel suspects, for instance, were picked up after some suspicious actions alerted staff to possible ulterior motives. Homegrown terrorists also often take advantage of their knowledge of the people and the places they plan to attack.

Terrorism is a global menace that calls for increased co-operation and a regular exchange of intelligence between our country and others. They include the US, whose embassy in Nairobi recently issued an alert to Americans living in or visiting Kenya to remain vigilant as terrorists tend to carry out attacks during Ramadhan. Although the northeastern region continues to suffer more frequent attacks by Al-Shabaab, in the rest of the country there have been fewer incidents recently. Increased vigilance and solidarity are needed to stop the terrorists.