Samuel Mutunga the County Police Commander (CPC) in Mandera has issued an update on the explosion which led to the death of 3 police officers in Mandera County on Monday, March 25.
While speaking to the press, the official revealed that detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations were pursuing leads into the attack and more information will be divulged soon.
"We had a suspected IED attack that happened across the fence in one of the hotels run by a non-local. I was in the office when I heard the explosion," he remarked.
Mutunga also stated that it is believed that the IED was planted at night and the perpetrators were waiting for the hotel to be fully packed to detonate the explosive.
He revealed that the attack occurred at around 10.40 am when a loud explosion was heard near the police station. Mutunga noted that security personnel rushed to the scene to manage the situation.
Mutunga noted that those who were at the local joint when it exploded were not from the area. Those injured were rushed to nearby hospitals awaiting to be airlifted to Nairobi for specialised care.
According to Mutunga, there were four casualties, three police officers and a civilian who is believed to have been working there.
"The hotel has been completely destroyed. We suspect that the IED was planted at night," he added.
As investigations continued, the CPC asked members of the public to share any information on the attack with the police to ensure the culprits were arrested.
The CPC assured the residents that the police were conducting thorough investigations and putting in place measures to prevent such an attack in the future. He also condoled with the victims' families.
On the other hand, Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif emphasised that the county was peaceful before the attack occurred.
"We are doing our best to ensure this incident does not occur again in collaboration with our security officers," he added while regretting the deaths of innocent Kenyans.
It is believed that the attack was carried out by the terror group Al Shabaab, which has been terrorising Kenyans, especially in Northern Kenya and in Lamu County.
