A convoy of five buses traveling on the Lamu-Mombasa road was reportedly ambushed by militants on Tuesday evening, according to passengers who spoke to Daily Nation.
Passengers described hearing gunshots at around 6:30 pm at Milihoi in Mkunumbi, Lamu, forcing the drivers to turn around and head to Mkunumbi Town, where they waited until the gunfire subsided.
One passenger, Mr. Tawfiq Sayid, recounted the experience:
We were in a convoy of five buses. When we reached Milihoi, which is a place between Mpekeoni and Hindi, we heard gunshots in the air. The police escorting the convoy ordered us to make an immediate U-turn back to Mkunumbi town centre where we spent about an hour while waiting for more police to escort us.
Official Denials ¶
However, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet dismissed the reports as false, stating on Twitter:
The reported attack on bus convoy in Lamu is all false. To the contrary, the enemy has suffered serious setbacks in the last 12 hours.
Lamu County Police Coordinating Commander Chrispus Mutali also denied knowledge of the attack, calling it an
unreliable rumour
. Meanwhile, an international news agency,
AFP
, reported that heavily-armed militants had attacked a convoy of passenger buses and their army escorts in the Lamu region.
Conflicting Accounts ¶
A local administrator, speaking anonymously to Daily Nation, confirmed hearing gunshots about two kilometers away from the alleged attack site. In contrast, AFP cited an eyewitness who described the attack as involving grenades and heavy guns, but miraculously, no one was hurt.
