Police have arrested a watchman linked to the Embakasi gas explosion that has so far claimed three lives and injured over 220 others.
DCI detectives made the arrests minutes after they were given 48 hours to investigate the case.
Police stated that the watchman was in charge of guarding the premises where the lorry loaded with gas that exploded was stationed. However, DCI has yet to state the charges preferred against the watchman whose identity is still unknown.
Reports further indicated that two mechanics were also linked to the case, with residents alleging that they caused the fire that led to the explosion.
The embattled residents claimed that they detected the scent of leaking gas at around 10 pm, while the mechanics were repairing a car that had broken down in the vicinity.
Alarmed by the leaking gas, they allegedly warned the mechanics against jump-starting the car as the sparks would have caused a fire.
It is yet to be clear whether the mechanics were the sole cause of the fire as alleged as DCI detectives are yet to trace their whereabouts.
The inferno was reported on Thursday night after a gas explosion occurred near a residential area in Embakasi.
Some residents faulted the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), noting that concerns raised to the authority regarding the gas facility polluting the air in the area were ignored.
"You can imagine the last two months I lived in that house, I didn't step onto my balcony or even open the windows of my house. I couldn’t handle the smell of the gas anymore," a real estate specialist living in the area stated.
Hundreds of victims were rushed to Mama Lucy Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) for medical treatment. Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura later urged members of the public to keep off the area to allow the rescue mission and investigations to be carried out smoothly.
Nairobi Women representative Esther Passaris, responding to the tragedy, further vowed to help the affected and rallied wellwishers to donate blood at various hospitals.
Governor Johnson Sakaja has also promised that Nairobi County will waive all medical fees for the Embakasi fire victims, as the distribution of relief items to help those affected kicks off.
