One child dies, several injured in Church explosion

A child injured at the St. Polycarp ACK church explosion being taken to hospital. (Photo:Tabitha Otwori/Standard)

By Cyrus Ombati

An explosion at St. Polycarp ACK church in Juja road has left one child dead and about nine others attending a Sunday school service injured.

Police arrived at the scene if the incident moments after the explosion and the injured rushed to nearby hospitals.

Starehe OCPD Samuel Anampiu says the explosive suspected to be a grenade may have been planted or thrown at the building housing the Children.

According to the Kenya Red Cross, six children in critical condition have been transferred from Radian hospital to Kenyatta National Hospital.

Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru arrived at the scene of explosion and condemned the act, demanding those behind it to be arrested. Questioning why churches are being attacked, Wanjiru said there is no place for religious war in Kenya.

A the scene of the attack, military police have been deployed to control crowds trying to have a glimpse of the remnants of the 10.30am explosion.

The attack comes barely three months after a grenade explosion left at least 17 people dead and scores injured in twin grenade and gun attacks at the Garissa Catholic Church and AIC churches in July.

Still in July, police in Trans Nzoia County arrested two suspects and seized weapons, including two hand grenades with preliminarily investigations indicating that the grenades had been smuggled from a neighbouring country and were to be used to wreak havoc at a church in Umoja Estate, Nairobi.

It is the first attack from suspected Al Shabaab sympathisers after KDF and AMISOM took control of the militia's stronghold, Kismayu on Friday.