Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru on Friday said she saw suspicious people at the DusitD2 hotel five days before the terror attack that left 21 dead.
Waiguru said she regrets to not have reported to police.
“I was attending a birthday party of a friend when I saw two guys moving around the hotel and my instincts arose since I had dismissed my security detail. They walked around then they left,” she said.
Speaking at Nguguini primary school in Kiaragana during the burial of 23-year-old Wilfred Kareithi who was killed during the attack, Waiguru said the two suspicious characters came to the hotel through a back entrance.
“When I learnt of the attack, I gave the investigating agencies information on what I had seen on a Thursday the previous week,” she said.
Waiguru called on members of the public to be vigilant and report suspicious characters to security agencies to avert similar attacks.
“‘Had I acted on my instincts and informed the authorities may be the attack could not have happened, but I never suspected they could be terrorists,” she said.
An emotional Waiguru called on parents to monitor their children and question their source of income.
She also urged parents to report to government authorities whenever they suspect their children have crossed over to Somalia.
Kirinyaga women rep Wangui Ngirici regretted that two sons from the County were victims of the attack.
Others present during the burial ceremony were deputy governor Peter Ndambiri, former senator Daniel Karaba, former county assembly speaker Anne Githinji and Ndia MP George Kariuki.