At least 10 killed in Kenya when vehicle runs over explosive

NAIROBI, Kenya

A local official in north-eastern Kenya says at least 10 people are dead after their vehicle ran over an explosive device on a highway Monday morning.

North Eastern regional commander George Seda said the blast occurred outside Mandera town. It was not clear how many people were in the vehicle. Witnesses said the toll could rise because others had serious injuries.

Police suspect the explosive device was placed by al-Shabab extremists operating in the area after crossing from nearby Somalia. The extremists are often blamed for such attacks in the border region, targeting both security forces and civilians.

A police report on Monday’s blast said the attackers fled toward the border.

One suspect has been arrested in connection with the explosion.

Confirming the arrest, North Eastern region police boss Bunei Rono said the unnamed individual was being questioned by detectives.

According to the police, the attack was carried out by a gang of six.

“On Monday January 31, 2022, around seven in the morning a civilian vehicle plying Mandera-Arabia road was attacked with an IED. It happened approximately 8kms from Mandera town. The attackers numbering around six then reinforced the IED attack with AK47 rifles. A GSU patrol team which was on foot and close to the area responded immediately,” reads a police report seen by the Nation.

A similar incident happened in the same location last year in March 2021, after a bus ran over an IED killing several people dead.