By Chris Mgidu and Chrispinus Omar
NAIROBI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's authorities said on Friday investigations into a blast at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Thursday night will focus on terror links.
Interior Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo said the national security committee was meeting in Nairobi to establish if the incident which caused small explosion at the country's main airport was related to terror.
"We are having a meeting of all security personnel to get the actual facts into the incident that occurred at the airport," Iringo told journalists in Nairobi.
He said the incident which caused panic at the busiest airport in Africa could be an incident related to terrorism. "However, this can only be confirmed after the investigations are finalized, " Iringo said.
His remarks come as the anti-terrorism police and bomb experts launched investigations to establish the mystery surrounding the discovery of a male body and an explosive device in a bullet- riddled car at a shopping center in Nairobi.
The body of a man of Somali descent was discovered at Shauri Moyo shopping estate early Friday with bullet wounds, hours after a mysterious "blast" occurred at the JKIA, causing slight damage to the departure section.
Shauri Moyo residents told the police that they saw two men of Somali origin on a motorbike riding off from the shopping center after the bullet-riddled car was driven there, saying they had a puncture and would come back to collect the vehicle.
But when the police searched the car, they found the body at the rear seat in a pool of blood and also recovered a cup belonging to the Java Coffee shop inside the car, a sign that they may have visited the restaurant at the JKIA.
Sources within the police said on Friday that the car was trailed but it hastily disappeared only to be later found with the dead man inside.
However, Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo dismissed the blast reports, saying the incident happened when a loose bulb fell, causing a sound that was mistaken for an explosion.
"It was not a blast at JKIA but some papers caught fire after a loose light bulb fell into a dustbin that caused panic at Java coffee shop," Kimaiyo said in his Twitter account.
The police chief said there was no casualty despite the heavy presence of security forces and bomb experts who had been called in immediately after the "explosion."
"When the loose bulb fell down it burst making an explosive sound like; thus causing panic," he said amid tension at the JKIA, East Africa's largest aviation hub.
The East African nation has been at a verge of terrorism threats by Islamists extremists allied to Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaida militia after Kenya forces took control of the insurgents' stronghold in Somalia.
The police have also admitted that despite a boost in security the threat remained, urging shopping malls to remain vigilant and to "do more" to prevent attacks.
The recent terror at the Westgate mall in Nairobi that left over 68 civilians dead and dozens wounded was blamed on the militants from neighboring Somalia.
However, the police chief said security had been stepped up and appealed to city residents to be extra vigilant and take security measures seriously, regardless of their status in society.
Since Kenya sent troops across the border into Somalia in October 2011, northern, eastern and parts of Nairobi and Mombasa have been hit by a series of blasts, many targeting local security forces and humanitarian workers.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Co-ordination of National Government, Joseph Ole Lenku, has re-affirmed on-going plans by the government to involve the private sector in security management processes.
As part of the wider effort to enhance national security while adopting modern solutions, Lenku confirmed that a cabinet paper seeking to recognize and regulate private sector security providers has already received cabinet approval and now awaits the necessary legislative action to become law.
"The government recognizes the role of the private sector in fostering national development. For this reason, the Cabinet paper providing a framework for the private sector to cooperate and interlink with the national security organs has now been passed," he said.
Lenku was speaking when he addressed members of the Committee on the Rapid Restoration of Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi.
He said that the government is strategically seeking avenues to enhance the involvement of the private sector in national security programs.
While expressing regret at the tragic terror attack at Westgate Shopping Mall last September, Lenku gave assurance that the government has significantly beefed up security surveillance and management systems countrywide.
The integration of the private sector in national security management programs, he noted, is expected to play a key role in providing primary level security relief and management within the confines of the law.
"In our current circumstances, the role of security surveillance and awareness is the business of all Kenyans including the private sector and not just the government," he said.
