NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Don’t watch the World Cup at bars, restaurants or large parties, the Kenyan government warned its citizens on Friday. Instead, officials suggested, watch the tournament “from the comfort of” home.
The warning to avoid crowds and “be cautious and vigilant” during screenings of World Cup matches comes during a heightened threat of terrorism in Kenya. Al-Shabab Islamic extremists from Somalia four years ago bombed two World Cup viewing locations in neighboring Kampala, Uganda, killing more than 70 people.
Kenya has seen a wave of terror attacks over the last six months, and experts have warned that attacks could take place against World Cup crowds. Kenya’s Interior Ministry said its citizens shouldn’t watch matches at “unprotected open places.”
“Although the government has beefed up security in all parts of the country, bars and restaurant owners are at the same time notified to maintain a high sense of security and vigilance in their premises,” the government said in a press release.
The warning comes five days after gunmen slaughtered some 50 people in a coastal Kenyan town while World Cup matches were playing on TV. On Wednesday a bomb exploded at a World Cup viewing site in northeastern Nigeria, killing 14 people.