October 20 Mashujaa Day celebrations were probably the most guarded public event ever witnessed by Kenyans.
While no foreign Presidents attended the event, the function’s security preparations commenced months before it finally occurred.
In the months leading up to the first-ever Mashujaa Day Celebrations held in Mombasa, the event venue was completely sealed off from the public.
Mean-looking officers of the Kenya Defense Forces lined up the venue’s perimetre with their hands trained on their sophisticated weapons of mass destruction.
Occasionally, passengers alighting from the Likoni ferry would be publicly whipped by the Kenya Navy soldiers for stepping on the pavement surrounding the revamped Mama Ngina Waterfront Park.
On October 1, security operations at the coast intensified following an operation where detectives busted suspected terrorists planning to attack the Mashujaa Day Celebrations.
In the raid, two people were arrested while three others shot dead and various sophisticated weapons confiscated. Police also recovered grenades, bomb-making material and 1600 rounds of ammunition.
“We have scaled up operation through a multi-agency approach. We were guided by very critical information on some people who have been operating in the area of Likoni since May,” Acting Coast Regional Director of Criminal Investigations Paul Leting said at the time.
Air-Tight Venue
Fast-forward to October 20 when the celebrations occurred, security agencies left nothing to chance.
Attendees poised to sit at the VIP podium were notified weeks before the actual celebrations. All leaders and state guests were allocated various spots with the event planners cross-checking whether everyone was in their designated seats.
On the D-day, embattled Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu was kicked out from the dais after he somehow bypassed event planners to secure a spot at the event.
Foreign envoys would also suffer humiliation from the event planners who had them park their cars at Kilindini Cultural Centre and walk several metres to the event venue.
The envoys and Cabinet Secretaries would also have their staff greatly cut as they sauntered towards the dais with the crowds thronging on either sides of the walkway.
Not even Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho was allowed to drive into the venue. Only the Deputy President William Ruto, Mama Ngina, Chief Justice David Maraga and ODM’s Raila Odinga drove to the dais albeit with minimal security.
A scuffle would ensue moments after President Kenyatta snaked his way into the venue atop an armoured car.
Security chiefs would, however, intervene in the battle over control between the Presidential security team and the army.