By CYRUS OMBATI
Police are puzzled by an incident in which a man attacked a woman with an explosive along Kangundo Road, Nairobi, seriously injuring her.
The middle-aged woman was in an M-Pesa shop at a petrol station on Sunday morning when a man casually walked in and threatened to attack her if she did not give him money.
The woman told police she hesitated thinking the stranger was joking but was surprised by a loud explosion that threw her off a stool.
The man had apparently thrown an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at her, injuring the lower part of her body in the 9am incident.
He then vanished on foot without stealing anything.
Commercial device
The man had posed as a customer.
Kayole OCPD Moses Lubisia termed the incident isolated but added they are investigating the motive. Mr Lubisia said they had recovered batteries that were used in detonating the device and efforts to get the attacker were ongoing.
The M-Pesa shop was damaged in the attack. Officers from CID’s bomb disposal unit combed the scene for leads into the incident.
Head of the unit Eliud Langat said the IED was a commercial one but which can kill and damage property.
The incident comes two weeks after unidentified attackers hurled five grenades into Nairobi Country Bus Station, popularly known as "Machakos" killing nine people and injuring more than 60 others.
Police have since established the grenades were manufactured in China and questioned several suspects.
The family of Suleiman Waweru claimed over the weekend that he is missing after being picked up on Thursday by detectives from Anti-Terror Police Unit who are investigating the grenade incident.
