Kenyan police have dismissed as outrageous a statement by New Zealand Cricket that it will be unsafe to play a World Cup fixture in Nairobi next month.
"I would say it's outrageous and dishonest," said Kenyan national police spokesman Kingori Mwangi today. "When some of these people hear it's in African countries, some of them think we are monkeys out there in the rainforests."
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden said earlier a security review had found there were "active terrorist organisations" operating in Nairobi that had the ability to launch an attack.
"The information was that these terrorist groups are looking to target Western interests in Nairobi," Snedden said in a statement. He added that Kenyan authorities could not provide adequate security.
The Kenya Cricket Association (KCA) said it had forwarded an enhanced security plan worked out with South African experts to the International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday and accused the New Zealanders of succumbing to paranoia.
"They are being paranoid," said KCA chairman and ICC member Jimmy Rayani. "If people are being paranoid about security, then even the White House would be unsafe."
World Cup director Ali Bacher said he believed the new plan would be delivered later today and discussed by the ICC board on Thursday along with security issues associated with the six matches in Zimbabwe.
New Zealand cricketers have twice been close to terror attacks in Sri Lanka and last May the team pulled out of a tour of Pakistan after a bomb blast outside their hotel in Karachi killed 12 people.
The World Cup, which is to be played mainly in South Africa, has been beset by doubts over plans to hold games in both Zimbabwe and Kenya.
New Zealand's first game is against Sri Lanka in Bloemfontein on February 10th.