The Kenyan government has introduced new measures aimed at curbing the recent escalation of the violent crime in the east African nation.

Government Spokesman Dr. Alfred Mutua said on Thursday the measures include enhancing the penalty for illegal possession of arms to a capital offense.

"A Bill is being presented to Parliament to make the possession of an illegal firearm be punishable as a capital offense. Currently the office is a bailable one that is no treated with the seriousness it deserves due to the existing laws," Mutua told a news conference.

"The government is increasing the number of gun detectors that will be used by the police to sniff out hidden weapons," he said.

Dr. Mutua said the measures would drastically reduce the acts of gun violence and the killings that have been witnessed in the recent past.

He said at least 50 people have died in the recent upsurge of crime in the country targeting high profile personalities.

The proliferation of small arms in the country has largely contributed to the sophistication in crime and this is one of the key areas the government is tackling.

President Mwai Kibaki on Wednesday ordered security forces to launch a huge hunt for suspected illegal arms in urban areas.

Kibaki insisted the government would deal with the rise in violent crime, notably in the capital Nairobi, where diplomats and foreigners have been targeted in recent months.

The president's order followed an alert issued by the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, warning American nationals to evaluate their personal safety situation in light of terrorist threats and increasing incidents of violent crime.

Car hijackings are common in Nairobi and its environs and other major towns, particularly in the late afternoon or night.

A top Kenyan AIDS researcher became the latest victim of carjacking incidents when he was killed early this week including three others.

Sunday's attacks happened a week after gunmen car hijacked a U.S. Embassy vehicle on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital and killed the wife of an embassy employee and his mother-in-law. Police later killed two of the car hijackers.

Last week, a regional director for the aid agency, CARE International was killed in similar carjacking incidents.

In September last year, the chief U.S. military attach��| was shot and seriously wounded in a carjacking in Nairobi.

Russia's ambassador was stabbed in a robbery on August 20. A month earlier, a Danish diplomat was attacked and robbed.

Source: Xinhua