College attack comes day after president declared 'Kenya is safe'

  • Kenya
The attack on Kenya's Garissa University began during morning prayers. Credit: Google Maps

The attack on Kenya's Garissa University College began during morning prayers.

Witnesses say gunmen fired indiscriminately. The death toll will surely rise amid explosions and a lengthy firefight between the militants and military now surrounding them and reportedly many hostages.

Garissa is around four hours drive from Nairobi towards the Somali border. It would make a soft target for Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab militants, the group responsible for the Westgate shopping mall massacre of September 2013.

Over the past few weeks across eastern Africa, in Tanzania and Uganda, there have been distinct signs of heightened tensions and heightened security.

Last Friday, at least 10 people died in an attack by Al-Shabaab on a hotel in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.

But in Kenya, only yesterday, I'm told President Uhuru Kenyatta addressed a meeting of investors and declared: ''Kenya is safe.''