by Samuel Mwanawanjuguna Saturday August 8, 2026
An undated image of a police vehicle at a crime scene Photo kenyans.co.ke
A suspected improvised explosive device detonated in a 35-year-old man’s hands in Mandera Town on Friday evening, severing one of his arms and prompting a swift security response.
Preliminary police reports and witness accounts put the explosion at around 6:30pm in the Bula Buruburu area, close to Holland Sports Ground.
Investigators believe the man may have been carrying the device when it went off.
He sustained serious injuries and was taken to Mandera Teaching and Referral Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment.
The blast drew officers from the Kenya Police Service, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, General Service Unit and National Police Reservists to the scene.
The Counter-Terrorism Bureau in Mandera is leading the inquiry. Investigators are working to determine the suspected device’s origin, who assembled it and what the injured man intended to do with it.
Police recovered a mobile phone and a metal fragment believed to be part of the explosive. The items were taken for examination as officers pieced together the circumstances surrounding the detonation.
By Friday night, authorities had not named anyone responsible for the incident. Security officials and residents, however, were concerned that it could be linked to Al-Shabaab, which has been blamed for a series of attacks in northern Kenya.
The explosion occurred less than 24 hours after another suspected IED attack in the county injured six people.
Together, the incidents have intensified anxiety in a region already facing heightened security risks along the Kenya-Somalia border.
Thursday’s blast was reported at about 6pm near Odole Village in Elwak Sub-County.
The victims were travelling in a Toyota Land Cruiser along the Mandera-Elwak road when the vehicle hit a roadside explosive. All six were taken to Elwak Sub-County Referral Hospital, where one victim was reported to be in critical condition on Friday morning.
That attack was also suspected to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab.
Security reports show that at least 25 cross-border incidents have been recorded in Mandera, Garissa, Wajir and Lamu this year.
