
By EMMANUEL ONYANGOPosted Monday, December 20 2010 at 20:52
Grenade attacks on a passenger bus kills scores and leaves 14 seriously injured in Nairobi's Central Business District on Monday evening
Kenya Police are yet to confirm whether it was a terrorist attack, though earlier Uganda’s police chief warned of “strong indications” that Al-Qaeda-linked militants wanted to attack during the Christmas period and said security forces would issue an alert for vigilance.
The Kampala Coach bus was preparing to leave for Kampala from its station, located at Nairobi's River road, when four unknown attackers threw grenades at its entrance as passengers were boarding.
Kenyan police are said to have shot down two suspects at Kencom bus station, while one of the attackers is also reported to have been wounded by the blast. The fourth suspect is still at large.
In Uganda, the threats came from Islamist groups including the Al-Shabab and Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), Inspector General Kale Kayihura told AFP.
“Terror threats from Al-Qaeda, Al-Shebab and ADF are the main threats as we go for the festive season and there are strong indications they want to attack,” he said.
“We are going to issue security alert so that people are aware of these threats as they go for festivities.”
Uganda in July suffered East Africa’s worst attacks in 12 years when suicide bombers struck two Kampala bars, killing 76 people. The attack was claimed by Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-inspired Shebab rebels.
Mr Kayihura said authorities had received intelligence over possible attacks and Uganda was working with neighbouring countries to avert them.
“As police, we have engaged our colleagues in Kenya and other countries but the (solution) to these threats is people’s vigilance but we are going to come out with an elaborate strategy on this,” he said.
In the previous most deadly attacks, more than 200 people were killed in August 1998 when Al-Qaeda operatives bombarded American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.
The ADF is a Muslim rebel group that claimed to fight for equal rights for Muslims in Uganda but was driven out of the country in 2001 and has since been based in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.