Kenyan police have placed the country under a high terror alert as intelligence reports indicate an imminent threat of Al Shabaab terrorist attacks. In the last two weeks, the Kenyan army has advanced into Kismayu, an Al Shabaab stronghold in Somalia. 

This was followed by a series of reprisal attacks on civilians in Kenya. On Sunday 30 September, the Sunday School of St Polycarp Anglican Church near Eastleigh in Nairobi was brought to a halt when someone threw a hand grenade into the building, killing one child and injuring nine. Eastleigh is also known as "Little Mogadishu" because most of its inhabitants are either Kenyan Somalis or Somali refugees.  Angered at the death and injury of children, a crowd began reprisal attacks on people of Somali appearance.  However, these were quickly brought under control by the authorities.

The following day, two policemen were gunned down by suspected Al Shabaab supporters as they patrolled in Garissa, a town which is situated on the Kenyan border with Somalia.

There has been a marked increase in Al-Shabaab sponsored violence and attacks against Kenyan churches, civilian targets and the police since the Kenyan army invaded Somalia a year ago, in response to cross border incidents and joined the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in order to restore governmental control in the war torn nation. The methods employed by al Shabaab during attacks in Kenya are similar to those employed by Boko Haram in Nigeria, underlining the June 2012 statement by the head of U.S Military in Africa that al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al Shabaab and Boko Haram are trying to "co-ordinate and synchronize" their resources and activities.

CSW is working to highlight the threat that the actions of Al-Shabaab and its supporters pose to harmonious inter-religious relations in Kenya and to mobilise the global Church to pray for a lasting peace in both Nigeria and Kenya.

Please pray:

• That the heightened security would lead to the uncovering of potential terrorist cells across Kenya and prevent loss of life.
  
• For the security services, that God would provide them with effective strategies for combating Al Shabaab cells in Kenya, and in particular that there would be effective protection in the border town of Garissa for both citizens and police.
  
• For St Polycarp Anglican Church in Eastleigh, particularly the children who witnessed or were injured in the attack, that God would heal, restore and bring comfort to them.
  
• For the family of the child that was killed in Sunday's attack, that God would comfort them during this difficult time. 
  
• For St Polycarp and other churches in Eastleigh, that they would be able to meet this weekend without the fear or possibility of further attacks.
  
• That the Somali community in Nairobi, would not experience further reprisal attacks in the aftermath of the recent violence, and would play a significant role in rooting out Al-Shabaab activities in the city.