By Alice Muthengi BBC, Nairobi

The Kenyan Government has accused the United States embassy of issuing unnecessary warnings by asking its citizens to stay away from the country following threats of possible terror attacks in Nairobi.

Armed personnel are on security alert in Nairobi

A statement by Tourism Minister Raphael Tuju said the government had reviewed the security situation and confirmed there was no cause for alarm.

"Kenya is still a safe destination to be in and to visit. All our systems are on high alert and ready to respond to any threat, real or imagined," he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Kalonzo Musyoka says the bomb hoaxes in the city should not be used to create the impression that Kenya was at a great risk of a terror attack.

On Tuesday, the American Embassy in Nairobi said it had received an anonymous tip warning about terrorist attacks targeting the Hilton and Stanley Hotels, both of which are popular with tourists in the city.

Note

The Kenyan Government now says it is going to write a protest note to Washington for breach of diplomatic procedures by a US diplomat.

The official is accused of visiting various hotels in the city, warning them of imminent attacks .

Tourism has slumped since the Paradise Hotel bombing a year ago

Security has been tightened around strategic important installations. Armed military personnel have been deployed around foreign embassies, major tourist hotels, airports and shopping malls.

On Wednesday, the British High Commissioner Edward Clay, in a show of confidence in Kenya's security system, played down the threats and took a leisurely walk in the city streets.

He went to the Stanley Hotel, where he took breakfast and later walked over to Hilton Hotel for a morning cup of tea.

Kenya has twice been targeted by terrorists.

Last year, an Israeli-owned hotel near the coastal town of Mombasa was blown up killing 18 people, including the suicide bombers.

An attempt to bring down an Israeli aircraft with shoulder held missiles failed.

In 1998, the US Embassy was blown up killing more than 200 people, mostly Kenyans.

The authorities here are concerned that such alerts will adversely affect the country's tourism sector, which is only just beginning to pick up again.