Britain denies boy, 4, hurt by UK explosive

What you need to know:

  • Dr Turner, in a letter addressed to Cabinet secretaries for Interior, Defence, and Foreign Affairs, however, said that the actual origin of the weapon remained unclear. He said his government was ready to provide any technical assistance if required.
  • The boy, Lkarisa Lekiyaa, from Laresoro village in Samburu East sub-county was seriously injured when he took the object he had found near his home and threw it on the ground.

Kenya and the UK are trading accusations over an incident in which a four-year-old boy was seriously injured by an unexploded munition in Samburu County last month.

To prevent the situation from deteriorating into a diplomatic row, the UK through the British High Commission, has categorically stated that it was not responsible and asked Kenya to involve the military in investigating the case.

The initial investigation was by the police and preliminary findings blamed British troops, who train in Samburu.

“There is speculation that the ammunition may have been British. Our Ammunition Technical Officer visited the scene guided by villagers and ascertained that the fragments were not of UK origin,” said British Higher Commissioner Christian Turner.

Dr Turner, in a letter addressed to Cabinet secretaries for Interior, Defence, and Foreign Affairs, however, said that the actual origin of the weapon remained unclear. He said his government was ready to provide any technical assistance if required.

The envoy said that UK troops were very careful while doing their exercises. “Please be assured that our troops take great pain to record the positions from where, and into which, they fire, and this detail is stored for future reference.”

The boy, Lkarisa Lekiyaa, from Laresoro village in Samburu East sub-county was seriously injured when he took the object he had found near his home and threw it on the ground. It exploded, injuring him on the stomach, face, and limbs.

His father Lempiyan Lekiyaa, 60, said Lkarisa was herding goats when he stumbled on the object. “I heard a loud bang and then saw smoke. I rushed there and found him unconscious in the hands of some women. There was a lot of blood.”

The following day, he said, officers from the British Army visited their home and collected debris from the scene of the explosion.