Police spokesman Charles Owino announced that the armoured vehicles that President Uhuru Kenyatta acquired from China could not withstand a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack.
He, however, added that the vehicles were fitted with the Mine Resistance Ambush amour that could withstand bomb attacks.
Owino's statement was in response to the attack on one of the armoured personnel carriers that left 5 security officers dead on September 10 in Elwak Mandera county.
“We wish to clarify that the attack was not in any way due to the unsuitability of our equipment,” stated Owino.
He noted that both APCs and MRAPs were used for specific assignments as they had different firepower to resist an attack.
“Armoured Personnel Carriers can resist specific calibres of ammunition while MRAPs resist mines and RPGs,” Owino added.
During the said attack some other 20 officers were injured.
The security personnel were travelling between Farhama and Elram when the two armoured cars and a lory were hit by RPGs fired by suspected Al-Shabaab militants.
These vehicles in question, the Norinco VN4 armoured personnel carrier, were acquired from China in 2016 to specifically protect personnel from landmine and IED attacks.
Kenya bought the 30 VN4s which were deployed to the General Service Unit and Anti Stock Theft Unit (ASTU).
Officials revealed that there is no guarantee that one would survive a blast while in an MRAP because that would depend on the mass of the explosive device.
The armoured carriers were deployed to Mandera, Elwak, Liboi, Amuma, Mangai, Basuba, Milimani, Mkowe, Mugumumbi and Mangai and Barago, Tot and Arabai in West Pokot.
