Kenya protests U.S. network's terror labeling

The Kenyan government on Thursday protested U.S. news network CNN's report labeling the country as a "hotbed of terror" ahead of U.S President Barack Obama's visit on Friday.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery said the news report by CNN International is based on lies and without verification as it demonstrates heightened irresponsibility by the media network and smacks of arrogance.

"The reality is that Kenya has stood steadfast against this global challenge. We are part of the vanguard nations that are deployed in Somalia to restore peace and stability. We continue to host the world largest refugee camps," Nkaissery told journalists in Nairobi.

The CNN had reported that President Obama was not just heading to his father's ancestral land but to a 'hotbed of terror,' sparking furious reactions from Kenyans on social media.

"President Barack Obama is not just heading to his father's homeland, but to a hotbed of terror," the report by CNN read, raising concerns about Somali militants who have been staging terror attacks in the country.

"I take this opportunity to condemn this negative campaign by CNN and strongly protest at what is becoming a pattern of an anti-Kenya propaganda by CNN," Nkaissery said.

He said the CNN headline "Security fears as Obama heads to terror hotbed" sought to discredit the status of Kenya as a secure nation, noting that Nairobi, like any other country in the world, is at risk of terrorist attacks.

"Owing to our proximity to Somalia, a country that has been used by international terrorist networks and agents to recruit, train and plan attacks against Kenya and the region, we have suffered terror attacks," he said.

"However, while these attacks are tragic and unacceptable, they do not turn Kenya into a 'terror hotbed', as alleged by the CNN," the CS said.

He said Kenya continues to champion the search for sustainable peace in Somalia and many other countries in the region and beyond.

"We do this in the belief that our prosperity is linked to peaceful neighbourhoods and in our role in promoting international peace and security," said Nkaissery.

He said Kenya continues to make positive progress on securing this nation through improved inter-agency coordination, programs to secure its borders and tackling the underlying issues, in particular radicalization that that feeds into terrorism.

Only last week, Nkaissery said, the Westgate mall where Al-Shabaab killed 68 people in September 2013, was reopened.

"This is proof that we shall not be cowed by the terrorists' agenda," he added.

The CS said Kenya has successfully hosted a number of Heads of State and Government this year, reaffirming the confidence of the world to Kenya.

Obama's is scheduled to jet into Kenya on Friday for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2015, and Kenyans greeted CNN's report with disbelief and anger. Endit