NAIROBI; KENYA – One of the victims of the Wednesday night blast in Eastleigh, Nairobi has succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment.

Thursday, December 06, 2012
By Cyrus Ombati

Police said Peter Kyalo, a casual worker died hours after he was rushed to hospital while six others who were all pedestrians were treated and discharged.

One victim is still admitted in hospital with serious but stable injuries.

The blast happened in Joska area, a few meters from where another explosion had occurred on November 16 outside a supermarket.

Police and witnesses said the explosion, which went off at about 7 pm on Wednesday is believed to have been abandoned or planted on the road.

Bomb experts are expected at the scene on Thursday morning for further analysis.

Nairobi Area police boss Moses Ombati said the blast was caused by a bomb.

“No arrest has been made so far but we have confirmed it is an improvised bomb,” he said.

The blast seemed to have been set off from a distance or one of the victims stepped on it before it went off hitting the pedestrians, police said.

Ombati said they are interested to know how and why three blasts have occurred in the same area in the past month.

“It seems this is the work of one person because the concentration has been there for long. We will know,” said Ombati.

Bomb experts who arrived at the scene said it was an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

The explosion caused a crater where it went off.

Police had difficult time controlling a crowd that gathered there even as Ombati who arrived shouted at them to move saying a secondary one could occur.

Few meters away from the Wednesday night incident a suspected terrorist was arrested as after an explosion he planned to detonate inside a supermarket went off and injured him in November.

Witnesses told police the suspect was in the company of two others and had arrived outside the supermarket aboard a motorbike when the incident happened.

The suspect was later charged in court with planning to cause deaths.

Kenya has experienced a series of explosions after troops rolled into Somalia last year to hunt down Al-Shabaab militants who had been blamed for several insecurity incidents.

It is believed the attacks are being committed by remnants of the terror group.