Kwale County Commissioner Meru Mwangi has announced tight security measures in preparation for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Mwangi says visible security is in place alongside intelligence surveillance across the coastal county during the impending celebrations.
He says police have ramped up security measures, including intensifying patrols and increasing visibility in crowded areas across the county, to ensure public and visitors safety during the festive season.
CC Mwangi says security personnel have intensified patrols at tourist attraction sites and public beaches during the holidays to guarantee the safety of the vital tourism sector.
He said security would be beefed up at government installations, places of worship, public places such as markets and bus stages, national parks, shopping malls, and public beaches.
The county administrator noted that round-the-clock security patrolling will help monitor tourist spots, beaches, shopping malls, and places of worship and look out for anti-social elements out to ferment trouble.
The county security chief says police are on high alert and will conduct routine patrols and intrusive inspections of people and vehicles around the numerous tourist sites during the entire holiday season.
Mr. Mwangi was addressing Wananchi at Kwale Baraza Park during this year’s Jamhuri Day celebrations, marking 60 years of independence from British colonial rule.
He told residents that police officers have been deployed to tourist hotels, national parks, and tourism routes to ensure that no security incidents are reported during the festive period.
The CC, who is also the Chairman of the County Security and Intelligence Committee (CSIC), said the security apparatus will be carrying out routine patrols along the shoreline to ‘boost hoteliers, visitors, and locals’ confidence in their safety and security’.
The adequate security assurance comes as seafront hotels in Diani Beach are bracing for the peak tourism season as holidaymakers flock back to the pristine sandy beaches and bed occupancy rises.
Mwangi asked residents, domestic and international tourists, and businesspeople not to be afraid as the government scales up security measures in various spots frequented by vacationers.
“We are giving out assurance that we have put in place adequate security measures to enable the locals and visitors to celebrate Christmas and New Year festivities without any hitches,” he said.
He said tight security is in place as covert and uniformed officers have been deployed in strategic places to ensure peaceful and joyous celebrations’.
“Night patrolling has also been intensified, particularly in places the police consider vulnerable areas, looking out for suspicious elements,’ he said.
Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani, who graced the Jamhuri celebrations, welcomed the police deployment, saying that the devolved government expects a large number of domestic and international tourists to visit key attraction sites during the festivities, as has been the case for previous years.
Governor Achani urged lodges, hotels, and entertainment joints in the region to enhance their security, including screening visitors and ensuring that entrances are manned by trained security guards.
She said visible security should be in place across the county before, during, and after the celebrations.
She added that the tight security measures will ensure the safety and security of locals and domestic and international holidaymakers.
The coastal county boss says during the festive seasons, the region usually records an influx of domestic and foreign tourists, hence the need to ramp up security.
“Tourist hotels and shopping malls should subject vehicles and guests to comprehensive security checks to avoid any untoward incidents,” she said, adding that the safety of tourists during the festive season will be a priority.
She asked residents to be vigilant and work with the security agencies to ensure an incident-free holiday season for all.
Diani Beach in Kwale is the preferred holiday destination for many Kenyans and foreign visitors, and each year it receives a record number of holidaymakers arriving to savour its beautiful sandy beaches and tropical ambiance.
The resort town of Diani, with its white sandy beaches, has seen the South Coast town voted the best destination beach in Africa for six years in a row by the World Travel Awards.
And as the festive season beckons, Governor Achani says the devolved government has launched a festive season safety campaign during the December and New Year tourist peak festive seasons.
A spot check by KNA indicated that hotels, lodges, and other accommodation facilities are reporting strong bookings and reservations for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) official Dr. Sam Ikwaye says hotels on the south coast are set for a bumper festive season.
Dr. Ikwaye lauded the full-proof security measures in place ahead of the festivities.
By Hussein Abdullahi
