The French Embassy issued a travel alert on Thursday, January 27, warning that Western citizens residing in Nairobi could be targets of a terror attack.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the alert, cautioned its citizens and expatriates from other countries to stay away from crowded public places, classifying them as possible hotspots.
The red-lined areas are the commercial centers, hotels, leisure centers and restaurants and other most visited areas.
France advised its citizens to exercise caution and vigilance while in those places especially over the weekend and avoid them whenever necessary.
The German Embassy also issued an alert informing its citizens in the country of a possible extremist attack.
The embassy released an advisory outlining measures its citizens should take in case of an attack, along with the embassy’s emergency phone numbers and the numbers of authorities in Kenya.
The two advisories come barely a month since the US Embassy in Nairobi cautioned its citizens against visiting some places in the country.
Through their January 5 alert, the US Embassy retained on its red list some areas within Nairobi and other counties prone to attacks, warning its citizens against visiting such areas.
The President Joe Biden administration highlighted issues ranging from muggings, kidnappings, and terrorism among the causes of the alert and the need of its citizens to remain vigilant.
The Kenyan government has heightened security in areas classified as volatile and especially those in the coastal area of Lamu.
Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang’i, in collaboration with Inspector General of Police, Hillary Mutyambai, deployed a contingent of police in different areas of the country in efforts to heighten surveillance.
Other measures including dusk to dawn curfew have been enforced in some of the affected areas of Lamu.
