Nairobi, Nov 27 (IANS): Kenya has witnessed a sharp decline in terrorist attacks and violent extremism countrywide amid heightened vigilance by communities and security personnel, senior officials said Wednesday.

Raymond Omollo, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, noted that in the last two years, the threat of terrorism in Kenya has subsided, though sporadic cases of improvised explosive device attacks in counties neighboring Somalia remain a concern.

Security agencies are on high alert to thwart terrorist attacks ahead of the festive season, Omollo told a forum in Naivasha, a resort town about 90 km northwest of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

He said that enactment of punitive legislation, combined with public awareness and retraining of security officers, will be key to nipping violent extremism and banditry in the bud, Xinhua news agency reported.

Kibiego Kigen, the Director of the National Counter Terrorism Center, said several counties have rallied behind the prevention of violent extremism model bill to help eradicate the vice.

"We have partnered with the Council of Governors and the County Assembly Forum in supporting this critical bill as part of addressing terrorism issues," Kigen said.