Administration policemen manning a checkpoint along the Dadajabula-Dif Road in Wajir County have impounded a lorry loaded with over 27 tonnes of assorted bomb making chemicals believed to be destined for the Al-Shabab terror group in Somalia.

Wajir County Commissioner Naftali Mung’athia said the truck which was ferrying the chemicals from Mombasa was loaded with 7000kgs of sodium sulphate, 7000kgs of basic chromium sulphate, 3000kgs of sodium formate, 3000kgs of sodium bicarbonate, 2500kgs of soda ash and 5000kgs of microzyme-P.

“If these materials managed to cross over into Somalia, it would have dealt a serious blow to our efforts to curb the rising Al Shabab attacks within our borders as the explosives made from these, would have been used against our KDF forces in Somalia and others would have been brought into our country by these terrorists to wreck havoc,” Mung’athia said.

He further disclosed that security personnel in the area had collaborated to nab six 40-feet-containers of contraband items which included sugar, tyres and spaghetti.

“We have since seized all these items and we are deliberating on the next course of action,” he said.

Bomb experts have since taken samples from the chemicals in the lorry for further tests at the government chemist in Nairobi to try and establish the range of explosives that could be derived from them.

Source: KBC

The lorry belonging to a Garissa businessman is being kept under 24 hour armed guard.

The incident comes a couple of months after security personnel in Wajir town acting on a tip-off from the public recovered over 10 AK47s, 20 hand grenades and an assorted cache of explosives which were buried at a cemetery in the town.