A boy was killed and several others injured on
Sunday after suspected terrorists hurled a grenade at St Polycarp's ACK
church along Chai road in Pangani, Nairobi. The injured, mostly children
attending a Sunday school service were rushed to Guru Nanak hospital.
However, one child has already been discharged while seven children are
still admitted.
"So far, we can confirm that one child has succumbed to injuries," Nairobi police boss Mr Moses Ombati told Reporters .
"Other victims were injured in a stampede after the incident," he added.
This comes after Kenya Muslims, majority of them Kenyans of Somali origin promised to protect the churches. In a rare Garissa meeting , Muslim leaders promised "We decided as solidarity that the Muslim youth will provide a vigilante
service to the churches not only in Garissa but in any other places
that the Christians may deem fit," he said There are an estimated 30
churches in Garissa. "Muslims felt that because those Christians are a
minority in their domain they must be protected at all cost."
However, in today's attack, The local MP Margaret Wanjiru insisted: "There is no religious war in Kenya."
Kenya's PrimeMinister, Raila Odinga has said, There is no probability of a religious War in Kenya.
According to one St. Plycarps church goer, Mr Jackson Mwangi, the attacker threw a grenade at around 10.30am on the Sunday school section.Police at the scene cordoned off the area to stop any secondary attacks.Bomb experts, fire brigade and
ambulances arrived at the scene shortly thereafter. However, most people
interviewed at the scene said they did not see any attacker but only
heard the blast.Witnesss Janet Wanja said she was
just entering the church in the Pangani district on the outskirts of
the Kenyan capital when the blast shook the building.
"I heard a loud explosion and then heard kids
screaming," she said. "I am traumatised by what I saw, kids with
injuries and blood all over. "Why are they attacking the church?"
"I was terrified... I just peeped through the window and saw people running around the church... I saw children being taken out with injuries. Other kids were running out crying," Mohamed said.
Some experts say the attacks on churches in Kenya are reminiscent of those waged by Nigeria's radical Islamist group, Boko Haram, which has been blamed for hundreds of deaths during its insurgency in northern and central Nigeria although the main Culprits are Al-Shabaab of Somalia who are said to inter-mingle with the locals.
Last Month, The Kenya police said gunmen attacked two churches in the
eastern town of Garissa on Sunday, killing 17 people and wounding at
least 40.
Seven were killed at the AIC church while another
three died at Central Cathedral Catholic church during the Sunday
morning services. The North Eastern PC James Oleserian said among those
killed are two police officers adding that those injured have been
rushed to the Garissa General Hospital and other health facilities in
the area.Eyewitnesses say that four masked gunmen sprayed bullets at the AIC church congregation before hurling grenades at them. The dead included six women, two men and two police officers.
Garissa is close to the Dadaab refugee camp, where gunmen kidnapped four aid workers and killed a driver on Friday in an attack Ndolo said he suspected al-Shabab sympathizers of carrying out.
Somalis are citizens of Five countries and Kenya is one of them. Notable among Kenya Somalis are The Deputy Kenya National Assembly Speaker, Hon. Farah Maalim, The Chairman of the Kenya Constitutional Commission, Hon Abdikadir Mohamed, The Kenyan Minister of Defence, Hon Mohamed Yusuf Haji and Minister for Northern Kenya, Hon. Mohamed Elmi.
There is so much profiling going on in Kenya towards Kenyans of Somali origin because of their kinsmen from Somalia. Look at this article, http://kenyasomali.blogspot.com/2010/09/profiling-of-somalis-in-kenya-must-stop.html
The Kenyan Citizen of Somali tribe also say they have grossly been marginalized and their population is grossly under-estimated, see this article, http://kenyasomali.blogspot.com/2010/09/kenya-somali-census-results-have.html
Three people arrested at the scene taking
photos of the church told police that they were working for the Horn
Cable TV of Somalia.Tension gripped the area as
enraged youth started attacking the nearby Alamin mosque. However,
police managed to restore calm and dispersed them.
Pangani is situated next to the
Eastleigh quarter, nicknamed "little Mogadishu" because most residents
are either Somali refugees or Kenyans of Somali origin.
Mr Ombati has appealed for calm and urged the residents to restrain from retaliatory attacks.
“Anyone who will be found to be involved in revenge attacks will be dealt with in accordance with the law,” warned Ombati.
Asman Mohamed, A Muslim, whose house is
next to the church, told AFP the children were singing when a loud blast
ripped through the building.
"I was terrified... I just peeped through the window and saw people running around the church... I saw children being taken out with injuries. Other kids were running out crying," Mohamed said.
Some experts say the attacks on churches in Kenya are reminiscent of those waged by Nigeria's radical Islamist group, Boko Haram, which has been blamed for hundreds of deaths during its insurgency in northern and central Nigeria although the main Culprits are Al-Shabaab of Somalia who are said to inter-mingle with the locals.
Last Month, The Kenya police said gunmen attacked two churches in the
eastern town of Garissa on Sunday, killing 17 people and wounding at
least 40.
Seven were killed at the AIC church while another
three died at Central Cathedral Catholic church during the Sunday
morning services. The North Eastern PC James Oleserian said among those
killed are two police officers adding that those injured have been
rushed to the Garissa General Hospital and other health facilities in
the area.Eyewitnesses say that four masked gunmen sprayed bullets at the AIC church congregation before hurling grenades at them. The dead included six women, two men and two police officers.Garissa is close to the Dadaab refugee camp, where gunmen kidnapped four aid workers and killed a driver on Friday in an attack Ndolo said he suspected al-Shabab sympathizers of carrying out.
Somalis are citizens of Five countries and Kenya is one of them. Notable among Kenya Somalis are The Deputy Kenya National Assembly Speaker, Hon. Farah Maalim, The Chairman of the Kenya Constitutional Commission, Hon Abdikadir Mohamed, The Kenyan Minister of Defence, Hon Mohamed Yusuf Haji and Minister for Northern Kenya, Hon. Mohamed Elmi.There is so much profiling going on in Kenya towards Kenyans of Somali origin because of their kinsmen from Somalia. Look at this article, http://kenyasomali.blogspot.com/2010/09/profiling-of-somalis-in-kenya-must-stop.html
The Kenyan Citizen of Somali tribe also say they have grossly been marginalized and their population is grossly under-estimated, see this article, http://kenyasomali.blogspot.com/2010/09/kenya-somali-census-results-have.html
