Kisumu and Siaya counties will be on a security lockdown from today, after the American and Kenya governments a tight security surveillance ahead of former President Barak Obama’s visit.
Nyanza Regional Police Commander Leonard Katana Saturday said they will police Kisumu and Kogelo in Siaya from the air, land and Lake Victoria to ensure the former US President and his entourage were safe.
The Kisumu International Airport is under tight security, as more elite security personnel stream in from Nairobi.
Obama’s ancestral village in Kogelo, some 70 km away, was equally under tight security that left villagers in awe.
Katana, who spoke to the media after visiting Sauti Kuu vocational center which Obama will inaugurate, said several roads in Kogelo will be closed.
There will also be tight security surveillance inside Mama Sarah Obamas’s home, around the homestead and on the Kogelo-Siaya and Kogelo-Ndori roads.
Sunday Standard learnt that the Secret Service officials were working closely with Kenyan security teams to seal possible security loopholes.
Saturday, Kogelo village sagged under the weight of the heavily armed security personnel who spent a better part of the day driving around the Sauti Kuu center and Kogelo market in pick up trucks, saloon cars and even on motor cycles.
“We want to assure all the guests and locals that all is well. Kogelo is safe. We have stepped up aerial police surveys, water and ground security supervisions,” Katana told the media outside the Sauti Kuu Foundation gate
The officers, who have paired with CIDs and Administration Police in Siaya, Kisumu and neighboring counties such as Kakamega and Busia vowed to ensure all goes according to plan.
Some roads will also be closed for the sake of security operations and to ease traffic flow. Preliminary reports indicate that the former US President and his entourage may choose to fly to the venue or travel by road all the way from Kisumu International Airport.
Kogelo residents will, however, enjoy unrestricted traffic movement.
Anybody entering Kogello village will have to go through multiple security checks which will be staged at strategic positions right from River Yala and at Ng’iya girls Junction.
Katana confirmed that the security operations were being closely coordinated by local and US security teams.
Already, they have dispatched special boat patrols in the lake with armed sharp shooters, to monitor any unwanted intruders. The Kisumu Airport where Obama’s Chartered plane is expected to land shortly after 8am on Monday, borders the lake.
Earlier, the security team met at the Sauti-Kuu Foundation and held a closed-door security meeting with close family members.
By Saturday, they were marking the walking paths with metal booths just to ensure that VIPs are well guarded.
newsdesk@standardmedia.co.ke
