Kenyan security agencies conduct drill on chemical disaster preparedness

Kenyan security agencies have conducted training on handling of chemical and nuclear emergencies as part of a national disaster preparedness plan to limit their potential impact on the population, officials said on Tuesday.

"We are sensitizing communities to know the impact and potential threats that might arise from chemical and biological attacks," Pius Masai, Deputy Director of the National Disaster Management Unit, a department of the National Police Service in Kenya, told Xinhua.

The police recently warned of potential biological attacks using anthrax as a weapon. They said a man named Muhammed Abdi Ali was suspected of coordinating potential attacks on behalf of the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

"It is important to alert the public of these chemical and nuclear emergencies are common," Masai said.

Doyle Manke, a trainer on chemical disaster emergency preparedness, said the authorities' main focus was to ensure security officers had adequate information to detect and appropriately classify threat levels of chemical and biological attacks.

"We are providing them with the training on what to look for and how to prevent such attacks," Manke said.

The staff from the national disaster management unit attended the training conducted by experts on the detection of potential risks and preparedness in cases of chemical attacks.

Kenya suffered a major chemical disaster in February 2009 when a petroleum tanker overturned in Sachangwan, Western Kenya, killing 111 people with 200 others left with severe burns.

Masai said the disaster preparedness training was being conducted for both civilian and uniformed officers. The drills focused on the identification of potential disasters.

"We may have a repeat of the Sachangwan chemical incident because on a daily basis, drivers on the road do not appear to pay attention to tankers carrying chemicals. There are chemicals moving on our roads daily. These liquids may be dangerous and we want the population to take precaution," Masai said.

In 2011, at least 100 people were burnt to death when a fire broke out in Sinai, along Nairobi's Lunga Lunga road, after a faulty valve gushed petroleum, igniting a deadly fire disaster.

Masai said public awareness about potential threats of chemical disasters would empower citizens to notify authorities of possible threats.

"People need to report these incidences so we have the capacity to detect and take preventive measures. The public sensitization makes people aware. We believe giving citizens basic information on the threats of these chemicals would help us stop incidences of pilfering liquids during emergencies," Masai said.

Meanwhile, Masai said prevention of chemical emergencies requires that all institutions handling chemicals in their laboratories to take precautions. Endit