Kenya: Prime Minister Raila Odinga Evacuated After Grenade Found In Building

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya's prime minister was evacuated from his office after a grenade was discovered in another part of the building, and police cordoned off the area to search for additional threats, officials said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga's communication adviser, Salim Lone, said Odinga was advised to leave his office shortly after 1 p.m.

Deputy police spokesman Charles Owino said a plumber found the grenade behind a water tank as he was checking the water system near the underground parking lot at Odinga's office building.

Owino said the grenade was sent to bomb experts to check if it is live. He said police with sniffer dogs also searched the office building to check for additional threats. Owino said no other staff were evacuated from the offices. However, some workers from the offices could be seen outside the building huddled in groups.

"So far there are no theories on how the grenade got there," Owino said.

Kenya has seen several recent grenade attacks that police have blamed on followers of al-Shabab, Somalia's most powerful militant group.

Three grenades exploded at a political rally in downtown Nairobi in June last year, killing six people. In December two traffic police died when they were shot and a third was seriously injured by a grenade. One person was killed in a grenade attack on a bus company that same month.

Comments

[ladywiccan]

11:27 AM on 09/21/2011

methinks you're right 360Dunk

[arakuzi]

09:05 PM on 09/20/2011

AOL at it again...how about to include the Country in the subject next time? If I knew was about Kenia I would not be here.......

[Intelligentia]

12:16 AM on 09/21/2011

You're in the right place; it's about Kenya.

[Wairimu]

04:12 PM on 09/20/2011

So they thought to evacuate Odinga but no one else? I guess his life is more valuable than other wananchi.

[Oscar Nahunja]

12:54 AM on 09/21/2011

other people were evacuated from the building wairimu

[Wairimu]

10:22 AM on 09/21/2011

That's not what the story said. "Owino said no other staff were evacuated from the offices."

[ladywiccan]

04:09 PM on 09/20/2011

boy the moderators on here today sure are touchy

[omountainman]

02:13 PM on 09/20/2011

To HuffPost Moderator, the statements I made in my post are facts. Why won't you post it? To withhold them, is censorship and a lie to other readers. The international press did stories on these atrocities and there are videos and pictures all over the internet of then Senator Obama campaigning for Raila Odinga and the stories of the atrocitiesto back my statements!

[omountainman]

01:52 PM on 09/20/2011

Isn't this the same Raila Odingo, who made a deal with the muslims to institute sharia law and who's supporters rounded up Christians in churches, locked them in and then set fire to the churches, killing all inside? Isn't this the same Raila Odinga, that when then Senator Obama traveled to Kenya, he illegally campaigned for him? Yes, it's against our law to interfer in any foreign elections and Obama did that in person! (You will never see that on CBS, NBC, CNN or MSNBC) This man butchered his own people and when he was voted out of office, he refused to acknowledge the results and still remains in power today. Try going there as a tourist and take some pictures. That's if you want to be arrested.

[Samuel Njalale]

02:32 PM on 09/20/2011

@omountainman,
Your statements are alarmist and full of blatant lies. The only people who can believe you are those who have never been to Kenya, do not know who Raila Odinga is, and do not have an idea what the general character of Kenyans is. You should be ashamed for calling this same lies fact. What facts?

[frankerin]

04:03 PM on 09/20/2011

A difference of african opionion. And the Kenyan defemse team is on the scene. Immediately I smell a rat.

[ladywiccan]

04:06 PM on 09/20/2011

I've been to Kenya. The government is as corrupt as a pig sty. Love the people, have a few godchildren there if they're still alive as I haven't heard from them for a number of years

[Wairimu]

04:10 PM on 09/20/2011

They did not round up 'Christians', they rounded up some Kikuyus. All parties were 'Chrisitans'.

Obama did not campaign for Odinga, he went on a tour of the buggers contituency and Odinga accompanied him. Odinga, acting as the bonafide Luo leader, accompanied Obama on a few trips. Hardly campaigning.

PS, I'm Kikuyu and can't stand Odinga but the silly lies about things you know nothing about in an attempt to demonise Obama reek of ignorance of the highest order. Educate yourself.

[Oscar Nahunja]

01:00 AM on 09/21/2011

Wairimu you have a right to opinion about Raila but do not say its only the kikuyu's that were killed what happened in Naivasha .... other people were also burnt in their houses ...even in Nakuru . en what has Raila done to u..we also have the same reservations about Kibaki and and Uhuru

[rkeeeballs]

11:54 AM on 09/20/2011

one grenade ...big deal..pull the pin..then put out the story..you president for life..until next week !

[prosymom]

11:44 AM on 09/20/2011

the world is becoming a very dangerous place.

[360Dunk]

12:26 PM on 09/20/2011

Unfortunately, there's no shuttle to Mars available yet. Do you have any safer places to suggest?

[ladywiccan]

04:07 PM on 09/20/2011

the back of the moon?

[Chris2281]

03:21 PM on 09/20/2011

I konw the teapublicans are getting out of control.

[frankerin]

04:04 PM on 09/20/2011

Someone just creeped out of the left lib dem sesspool.

[johnfor3]

11:38 AM on 09/20/2011

Obama trying weed out those that know where he was really born !

[cheryl a]

01:48 PM on 09/20/2011

or 1's that he's throwing under the bus since they know of his corruption.

[Leon Engelun]

11:29 AM on 09/20/2011

some people find all the good stuff.

[ppswg]

11:18 AM on 09/20/2011

GET THIS MAN SOME VISINE, IT COULD HELP....HOPEFULLY.

[okorieoko]

12:09 PM on 09/20/2011

Of course not, they are not Iraq. Otherwise, we would have wasted $5 trillion destroying and giving Halliburton no-bid contracts to rebuild it. By the way, what plans do you have for repaying the debts incurred in the two wars?

[megabob]

12:36 PM on 09/20/2011

The war that Obama and the dems voted the funding for, and Afghanistan as well? You mean those two?

[frankerin]

04:04 PM on 09/20/2011

We can send you out to remove graffiti

[specialdarkk]

12:47 PM on 09/20/2011

Bachmann...is that you?