Lessons from Westgate: Two Rivers Mall invests Sh1 billion in security

If you leave a bag lying idle at the Two Rivers Mall, it will take less than 10 minutes for the mall’s security surveillance team to flag it as a potential threat.

The Centum Investments owned high end mall on Limuru Road in Nairobi has invested Ksh1 billion to shore up security at the mall, the development’s management says it is not taking any chances after learning from the Westgate Mall Siege that left 71 people including four attackers dead in 2013.

Speaking during an interview on KTN News on November 7, Ms. Itumu Zaloumis Kalunda, the first “Mayor” and Managing Director of Two Rivers Mall said that there are over 300 security cameras installed at the establishment as well as a security operations centre where all activities going on at every corner of the mall are monitored in real time.

“This is one of the key things that we considered. What we have done is that we have borrowed from the best global practices because we understand that the security of shoppers is one of the most important things in Nairobi, said Ms. Kalunda.

East Africa’s biggest mall has also employed use of number plate recognition that makes the mall’s security team adopt a more relaxed approach when searching shoppers.

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So effective is the number plate recognition technology that it has allowed the mall’s management to keep track of each and every car that drives into the mall.

According to the MD, approximately 110,000 vehicles make their way to the mall every month. In addition, Ms. Kalunda says that around 320,000 people visit the mall every month.

Westgate Mall has since hired an Israeli private security firm, The International Reserve Group (IRG), to lead its security operations.

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Security at Westgate is watertight, persons looking to hold any events at the mall are first vetted. Additional security cameras have been installed while surveillance has been heightened.