By CYRUS OMBATI
The explosion that killed three people and injured five others in Nairobi’s Eastleigh on Wednesday night was an improvised bomb, police said on Friday.
Sources close to a team handling the probe into the explosion said a preliminary analysis of the scene point to a home-made bomb that may have exploded accidentally.
“Initially, we thought it was a gas cylinder that exploded after a freak accident in the area but we have found out it was an Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) that may have been planted in a house,” said the source.
Those injured and admitted at the Kenyatta National Hospital have multiple injuries that point to pellets that may have emanated from a grenade.
Witnesses and police had earlier claimed the cylinder exploded after a speeding vehicle hit a man who was pushing it on a cart throwing it to the ground near St Theresa Catholic church on Juja Road.
Those who died include two women and a man, police said.
Locals said they heard a loud explosion as the accidents occurred in the same area.
“There was an accident followed by the explosion,” said Joseph Mwaniki, a resident.
Nairobi Area PPO Anthony Kibuchi told The Standard they are investigating beyond the gas explosion claims.
“Bomb experts are now handling the case,” he said.
Officers from anti-terror unit arrived at the scene, cordoned it and collected samples for testing and analysis, which have since confirmed the theory of an IED.
Aimless Shooting
Police say among those in hospital is a man who was pushing a cart that had the said gas cylinder and they are interrogating him.
Meanwhile, two people were shot and seriously injured in a shooting and robbery incident in Dagorret area the same night. A gang raided a mobile phone shop and robbed Sh25,000 and began to shoot aimlessly as they escaped. No arrests have been made so far.
And a police officer was stabbed and wounded as he responded to a robbery scene on Landhies Road, Nairobi. During the incident, one mugger was shot dead.
