The Ministry of Interior and National Administration has instituted a comprehensive set of security measures ahead of the Christmas and New Year festive period, in response to anticipated increases in population movement, public gatherings, and economic activity across the country. The measures are aimed at safeguarding lives and property, maintaining public order, and ensuring continuity of essential services during the holiday season.

The ministry notes that the prevailing security situation remains stable. However, historical patterns associated with the festive period consistently indicate heightened exposure to road safety risks, congestion along major transport corridors, opportunistic crime, and increased demand on emergency and response services. In view of this, the measures outlined below are preventive in design and focus on readiness, coordination, visibility, and rapid response.

Key Security Measures

1. Comprehensive Reinforcement of Security Personnel Deployment

• The Ministry of Interior and National Administration has directed a nationwide reinforcement of security personnel deployment to ensure sufficient operational capacity throughout the festive period. This includes the recall of officers previously on leave to maintain uninterrupted coverage and response capability.
• Deployment has been planned to ensure equitable coverage across urban centres, peri-urban zones, and rural areas, recognising that festive travel results in significant redistribution of population across counties and communities. This approach is intended to prevent security gaps arising from temporary population surges in specific regions.
• Special focus has been placed on high-traffic transport corridors, densely populated settlements, and areas that historically experience elevated activity during the festive season. The enhanced deployment supports deterrence, public reassurance, and rapid intervention where incidents occur.
• The ministry emphasises that visible presence remains a critical element of preventive security, contributing to public confidence while discouraging criminal behaviour.

2. Activation of a National Multi-Agency Command and Coordination Architecture

• The ministry has activated a national multi-agency command and coordination framework to provide strategic oversight of festive-season security operations. This framework integrates all relevant security and enforcement agencies under a unified command arrangement.
• The coordination architecture enables continuous situational awareness through real-time intelligence sharing, joint risk assessment, and harmonised operational planning. This reduces fragmentation, ensures consistency in decision-making, and enhances the effectiveness of response actions.
• To strengthen implementation at the local level, corresponding coordination centres have been established at regional and county levels. These centres are responsible for translating national directives into operational actions while allowing for rapid response to context-specific challenges.
• The multi-layered command structure ensures vertical and horizontal coordination, enabling efficient escalation and resolution of incidents across jurisdictions.

3. Intensified Security Coverage at Strategic Public, Commercial, and Transit Locations

• Security presence has been significantly intensified at strategic locations expected to experience high volumes of activity during the festive season. These include airports, border entry and exit points, major highways, bus termini, railway stations, and other transport nodes.
• Urban deployments have been enhanced in central business districts, shopping centres, markets, beaches, entertainment venues, and tourist destinations where increased foot traffic and extended operating hours are anticipated.
• Places of worship hosting large congregations during the festive period have also been prioritised to support orderly access, crowd control, and the safety of worshippers.
• These deployments are structured to facilitate normal social and economic activity while ensuring public safety, orderly movement, and rapid response in the event of emergencies.

4. Strengthened Traffic Management and Road Safety Enforcement Operations

• The ministry, in collaboration with traffic police and relevant transport authorities, has intensified traffic management and road safety enforcement to address the elevated risk of road accidents during the festive period.
• Enforcement operations are focused on key risk factors that contribute to serious and fatal accidents, including speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances, reckless overtaking, fatigue-related driving, and non-compliance with traffic regulations.
• Deployment has been prioritised along major highways, accident-prone sections, and routes experiencing heavy long-distance travel, with the objective of reducing congestion and improving traffic flow.
• Motorists are advised to plan travel appropriately, observe traffic laws, allow sufficient rest periods, and exercise patience during peak travel times. The ministry underscores that responsible road use is central to reducing preventable loss of life.

5. Targeted Operations Against Crime and Social Offences

• Security agencies under the ministry’s coordination have stepped up targeted, intelligence-led operations against organised and opportunistic crime that historically increases during festive periods due to heightened economic activity and public interaction.
• In parallel, additional attention has been placed on addressing social offences that tend to rise during the holiday season, particularly those affecting vulnerable populations. These interventions are preventive in nature and aimed at protecting individuals and maintaining social stability.
• The ministry notes that these operations are conducted within the framework of the law and are intended to ensure that celebrations are not undermined by criminal or harmful conduct.
• Community engagement remains an important component of these efforts, supporting early identification and prevention of potential incidents.

6. Enhanced Emergency Response Readiness and Public Engagement

• Emergency response systems have been placed on heightened readiness to ensure timely and effective intervention in the event of accidents, medical emergencies, or security incidents. Coordination mechanisms are in place to support rapid mobilisation of response teams and resources where required.
• The ministry has reinforced communication channels to enable the public to report incidents, emergencies, or suspicious activity promptly through established toll-free emergency numbers. Early reporting is critical to effective response and mitigation.
• Public cooperation is emphasised as a key enabler of festive-season security, complementing the measures implemented by security agencies and contributing to overall safety outcomes.

Conclusion

The Ministry of Interior and National Administration reiterates that festive-season security is a shared responsibility. The measures outlined above are designed to support safe travel, peaceful gatherings, and orderly celebrations throughout the Christmas and New Year period.

The ministry urges all members of the public to comply with safety advisories, cooperate with officers on duty, exercise personal responsibility, and remain vigilant, so that the festive season is observed in a secure, orderly, and peaceful manner across the country.