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12 killed in Kenya hotel terror attack

Tuesday October 25 2016

Twelve people have been killed in an overnight attack at Bishaaro Hotel in Mandera Town, northeast Kenya, by suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen, police confirmed on Tuesday.

Mandera East police boss Ezekiel Singoe said the 12 included 10 who were visiting for set-book performances at secondary schools in the county.

He said the 10 had arrived in Mandera on Monday to stage plays for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam candidates.

The police boss said they were still identifying the bodies.

The attackers used improvised explosive devices to break the metallic doors at the lodge at 3.30am (0030 GMT), causing part of the building to collapse and killing at least 12 people. They included eleven men and one woman.

Each room in the hotel accommodated four to six people.

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Second attack

It is the second Shabaab strike in Mandera in three weeks. The previous one on October 6 killed six people at a gated residential building that mainly housed non-ethnic Somalis and non-Muslims, less than a kilometre from the volatile Somalia border town of Beled Hawa.

Mandera governor Ali Roba said the raids were designed to divide communities and destroy the economy.

"This is an attack that is aimed at making sure we don't attract investors, we do not attract a professional workforce, we do not have interaction with the rest of the country," Roba told a press conference on Tuesday morning.

Northeastern regional security boss Mohamoud Saleh said he suspected "local criminal gangs" of complicity since border security had been stepped up after the October 6 attack.

Gun battle

Earlier, there were reports of heavy gunfire overnight.

Mandera County police commander Job Boronjo on Tuesday morning confirmed the attack but said police were yet to get more details about deaths or injuries as it was still dark in the area.

"We are monitoring the situation. My officers are on the ground. We will give the details when the day breaks," Boronjo said from Garissa, where he was attending an official meeting.

Asked about the exact place of the attack, Mr Boronjo said by phone: "Let’s not go into details for now please. Let’s wait for update as the day breaks."

Reported by Daily Nation's Manase Otsialo and Lucas Barasa; and AFP.

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