Security services are at an unprecedented state of alert amid reports that Al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
, the Somali terrorist group, has dispatched bomb makers and assassins to eliminate Defence Minister Yusuf Haji and National Assembly Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim.
Interviews with various security officials revealed that a detailed operational plan was sent to commanders of security agencies on Wednesday.
The plan includes a guide to officers on terrorism prevention, detection and how to act in case of an emergency.
New measures have resulted in the security of selected ordinary public places being upgraded, albeit temporarily, to the status known in security parlance as "vital installations."
Normally, vital installations would, among others, include airports, military barracks, cop shoppes and foreign missions in Kenya.
This means the newly upgraded areas will be provided with the same level of security as the sensitive installations.
The new entrants into this category include some churches, hotels, selected entertainment joints, shopping malls as well as some media houses.