14-year-old injured after grenade in garbage goes off in Embakasi

Police are investigating the origin of a grenade that exploded and seriously injured a garbage collector in Embakasi area, Nairobi.

Police, however, suspect the explosive originated in one of the security institutions in Embakasi area.

Fourteen-year-old James Onyango had collected garbage from the fence demarcating Embakasi and the military’s Humanitarian Peace Support School [HPSS] and stuffed it in a sack.

He then moved a few meters away from a heap of garbage there and started to sort them.

It was then that a metallic object in the garbage went off injuring his face, legs and hands.

Officials from the HPSS rushed to the scene when they heard the explosion and took the boy to a medical facility therein.

Preliminary findings into the July 6 incident showed the boy had severe injuries on the right side of the face, deep cuts on both hands, deep cuts on left knee and slight injuries on the left leg.

Bomb experts were called to the scene and picked up fragments from the explosive device for analysis.

Police say they are yet to establish the source of the grenade but investigations into the same are ongoing.

The injured boy was still admitted to hospital on Friday with serious injuries.

Elsewhere in Mowlem area, Dandora, police said they are investigating the source of a bomb that was found in a sewage drain.

A local was cleaning a sewage drain on Thursday when he stumbled on a cylindrical metallic object resembling a bomb.

The locals called police who rushed to the scene and confirmed the object was a bomb.

Police said the officer in charge of the bomb disposal unit Paul Nyuto confirmed it was a 105mm anti-tank.

The experts picked up the explosive for analysis and safe destruction as investigations go on.

It is not clear how the object arrived at the scene.

The locals were assured the scene was safe.