Blast victims to receive financial assistance

By Ally Jamah

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has hinted that blast victims who were disabled or who lost their businesses may receive financial assistance from the State.

Speaking on Wednesday after visiting some of the victims still admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital, the PM indicated that payments may be made after appropriate assessment has been done.

But Raila insisted that the financial support is not compensation saying the State was not responsible for the attacks.

Meanwhile, presidential aspirant Raphael Tuju has warned against tribal and religious profiling over the recent blast in Nairobi that left 28 people injured.

Speaking on Wednesday after visiting blast victims at KNH, Tuju said Kenyans should avoid pointing figures at communities or members of a certain religion, saying crime is committed by individuals.

“These acts of terror are done by bad people, simple. But you don’t use that to profile other people be they Somalis or Kikuyus. The criminals should be identified as individuals. It is time for Kenyans to pull together, not isolate some of us,” he said.

Media reports about the Monday blast in Nairobi’s Moi Avenue suggested that “a Somali man with a beard” was allegedly seen leaving a bag that later exploded.

This has sparked concern with members of the Somali and Muslim communities saying they were being blamed collectively for the crime.