CS Joseph Ole Lenku says ‘explosive’ found in Lamu church was totally harmless

By BERNARD OGINGA

NAIROBI, KENYA: Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku has said a device that was found in a Mpeketoni church was not a bomb as earlier thought.

In a statement to newsrooms, Ole Lenku said evaluations by experts on the device that sent the church into panic have shown that it was totally harmless.  

“This is to inform the public that it has now been confirmed by Security Agents that what was believed to be explosive found in a religious establishment in Lamu County is actually an old shell of a bomb.”

When it was spotted by worshipers Sunday morning, a service that was already underway was halted and congregants evacuated. GSU personnel were sent to the church and they managed to pick the suspected explosive safely.

Following the incident the Government has expressed its appreciation to members of the public for being cautious and observant “in matters of security thus swiftly alerting the police when they found the suspicious item.”

According to the Cabinet Secretary the shell is in the custody of the Lamu County Police Commander.

The CS explained that such bomb shells dating back to World War II are occasionally found in different parts of the county.

“Though harmless, when such bomb shells are discovered by members of the public,  it always prudent to desist from touching them and instead promptly report to security agents just in case it might be an unexploded live shell.” Concludes the statement.

It was not immediately established how the shell found its way in a place frequently used only to be noticed a week after six worshipers were killed in an attack by gunmen at a church in Mombasa County.