Hoteliers to train security personnel in fighting terror

Smoke rises from the Westgate mall in Nairobi on September 23, 2013. AFP PHOTO  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By BOZO JENJE, bjenje@ke.nationmedia.com

Hoteliers have booked their security personnel for an anti-terrorism training offered by a special Israeli unit at the Mombasa Paradise Hotel.

Candidates for the one-week training will undergo thorough vetting by intelligence officers to block out people who may benefit from the course for personal gains.

Francis Wangalibo of Three C consultancy, says the trainees drawn from the business community and security firms at the Coast will receive skills to detect suspect behaviour and to spot terror suspects before they engage in criminal activities,  preventing the killings, mayhem and destruction of property.

Mr Wangalibo said it was crucial to prevent bomb attacks since their impact is devastating and it ruins the economy.

“We need peace for the prosperity of business. The Coast region relies heavily on tourism and with terrorism scare many sectors will be affected,” he said, adding that the hospitality industry was already experiencing a slump due to fears of terrorism.

Since the Kenya Defence Forces entered Somalia to fight the Al-Shabaab militia, terrorists have attacked key installations in Kenya, the latest being the September 21 attack at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi where more than 67 people were killed and hundreds injured.

Mr Wangalibo said the beneficiaries of the training will, through profiling, be able to single out terror suspects from a crowd by scanning and use of modern technology and to disarm them.

“This will be a random process of picking individuals and it aims to instill confidence among shoppers in supermarkets and malls and tourists visiting the parks and hotels.”

Mr Wangalibo said the preventative approach in dealing with terrorism would help the country restore its image as a safe destination.

The training ground for the current drill was the site of the 2002 Kikambala bombing. Ten Kenyans and three Israelis, two of them children, died in the attack. Nine of the victims were dancers who were welcoming hotel guests.

“The motive is to minimise or eliminate terrorism attacks in the country, to provide a conducive environment for business,” said Mr Wangalibo.

Mombasa Coast Tourist Association executive officer Millicent Odhiambo said the training will instill confidence in guests who are visiting the region, especially during the December holidays, and raise the region’s profile.

“We need many people to get these skills since this is the right direction towards fighting the terrorism vice that has led Western countries to issue travel alerts leading to booking cancellations,” she said.

“The hotel industry had to lay off staff since the numbers of visitors had plummeted in the recent times but we expect once visitor’s confidence is restored, it will be booming business,” said Ms Odhiambo. David Kimanthi, a certified hospitality trainer says the training is crucial for hoteliers.

“After the September 11 bombing in the US, experts discovered that some workers at the hotel where the plans were hatched came across crucial information that would have been used to thwart the attack if they had been taken through such training,” he said in a recent interview.