Alphonce Shiundu
20 August 2008
Nairobi — The Government's war on terror can only be won through intelligence-sharing, a Cabinet minister has said.
Internal Security minister George Saitoti has said the Government will collaborate with the United States Government in fighting terror networks.
Speaking when he met a delegation of US congressmen, Prof Saitoti said that the Government was ready to commit resources and time to fight terror, with emphasis was on the exchange of security and intelligence data between the various anti-terror units.
He refuted claims that Kenya was acting under US command in the fight against terror, terming the remarks as "mere rumours"
"Who said Americans are leading the fight (against terror) on our soil? All we have to do with the Americans is what we call collaboration."
The minister termed terrorism as a "big threat" to the security of the country, saying that although the country had returned to normalcy after the post-poll crisis, absolute security would mean pre-empting all terror attacks.
Prof Saitoti took the US team through the events that rocked the country following the controversial 2007 General Election to the present situation.
Mr Bennie Thompson, the head of the US delegation, floated the idea of merging all security agencies since the focus is on "fighting a common enemy."
Borrowing from the US experience after the 9/11 bombing in New York, Mr Thompson said that such mergers have proved successful in the war against terror.
Prof Saitoti's remarks come at a time when the police are facing accusations of leaking information to the mastermind of the August 7, 2001 Nairobi bombings, Harun Fazul to evade arrest.
Police have since denied the accusations, although the suspect has eluded police dragnets at least three times within a month.
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