Saitoti faces hostile MPs over park blast

Internal Security minister Prof George Saitoti told MPs the investigations targeted many individuals, but cautioned against speculation. Photo/FILE

Internal Security minister George Saitoti faced hostile questioning in the House over the grenade attack on a prayer meeting during which six people were killed and 131 injured.

Members of Parliament also put the security agencies on the spot over claims of involvement in Sunday’s attack and demanded that some officers and religious leaders be investigated.

Police believe three grenades were detonated at the prayer meeting, attended by thousands of worshippers. Some 103 of the injured were treated and discharged, 22 are still in hospital, while six have died.

Complacent officers

Members called for the arrest of officers found to have been complacent during the events leading to and after the attack. Some MPs linked the grenade attack to the illegal insertion of the words “national security” in the proposed constitution. They accused the government of laxity even as it gave the toughest and most comprehensive statement so far on the issue.

MPs also questioned why the prayer meeting was allowed to go on beyond 6pm. “Why didn’t the police ensure that the licence conditions were adhered to?” asked Mr Gitobu Imanyara (Imenti Central, CCU). “Was it meant to give criminals a chance to strike Kenyans in the dark?”

There was also a query on why the government was allowing campaigns when the official campaign period is from July 12. Ms Martha Karua (Gichugu, Narc Kenya) said the role of intelligence officers in the blast needed to be investigated. “These explosives are not bought in shops,” she said.

Investigation by a team from the CID, the General Service Unit, and the military, has not led to any arrests so far, police said. But there were reports on Wednesday night that officers were interviewing three persons said to have received SMSs which investigators thought were suspicious.

The SMSs congratulated the recipients apparently for taking part in some event, possibly the attack on the prayer meeting. One of those said to have received the SMS and who police are questioning was picked up in Kinoo area of Kiambu and later led the officers to the others.

Investigators are also poring over video clips of the prayer meeting, minutes before the blast. They want to reconstruct exactly what happened in an attempt to find the attackers. They hope to see who was at the scene of the first blast and if they could have moved to the scene of the second.

In Parliament, Prof Saitoti told MPs the investigations targeted many individuals, but cautioned against speculation. Police commissioner Mathew Iteere, on Tuesday said detectives had confirmed with 100 per cent certainty that the devices used were grenades and investigators were trying to establish the model and country of manufacture in the hope that such information might lead to the suspects.

Detectives are also examining what is believed to be a non-lethal stun grenade that exploded first before the grenades were detonated. There have been no arrests so far, despite a Sh500,000 the police boss to anyone with information leading to attackers’ arrest. Deputy police spokesman Charles Owino Wakhong’o on Wednesday said investigators were pursuing various leads, “but we cannot divulge details because it might jeopardise the investigations.”

Speaking in Parliament, Prof Saitoti said: “The rallies will continue. We cannot succumb to that blackmail. We’ll beef up security, surveillance, and intelligence during the time of rallies and thereafter.” Investigations would not spare anyone, including the country’s security organs, he said.

The minister also said the government would deal ruthlessly with hate-mongers, including MPs, ministers, and even religious leaders. “The people who have made inciting utterances are being handled by law enforcement agencies as individuals and there’s no discrimination whatsoever,” Prof Saitoti said.

MPs wanted to know what the government intended to do with church leaders whom they said were issuing inflammatory statements at prayer meetings. The minister said he would talk to the clergy and ask them to preach peace, but said they cannot be stopped from debating the proposed constitution.

“Some of the issues which we are debating are exactly the issues which the clergy feel strongly about… we cannot muzzle people from expressing their views, but they must do so in a responsible manner,” the minister said.

Public anger

Perhaps aware of the government’s tendency to initiate investigations to quell public anger, MPs called for an open investigation that would be made public and the report tabled in Parliament. There was also concern over reported cases of leaflets in parts of Rift Valley threatening some communities with violence and evictions.

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission was also accused of being used by the government to intimidate those opposed to the proposed constitution. Separately, women MPs appealed to leaders in both the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ camps to lead by example by preaching peace and reconciliation in the referendum campaigns.

Reported by Njeri Rugene, Dominic Wabala, and Alphonce Shiundu.