NEWS- The main suspect in a deadly gas blast and fire in a densely populated area of Embakasi in Nairobi has appeared in court in the Kenyan capital.
Six people died in the disaster and around 280 others were injured when a truck loaded with gas canisters exploded in the neighborhood of the city, late last week.
This comes after the Police disclosed that they had arrested the prime suspect, Derrick Kimathi, who rented the illegal gas depot where the disaster occurred.
His lawyer had previously said that Kimathi would cooperate with the Police and denied that he was illegally operating the site where the blast took place as a gas filling plant.
Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had earlier announced the arrest of Kimathi along with three officials from the National Environment Management Agency who are accused of culpability over the tragedy after they failed to monitor what had been going on at the site.
Officials from the National Environment Management Agency (NEMA) have been accused of wrongly giving a license for the LPG filling and storage plant in such a densely populated area.
The Kenya Directorate of Criminal Investigation also disclosed that 5 other suspects who include the manager of the site, another two NEMA employees and 2 truck drivers are still at large and are wanted to answer to their crimes that have caused untold physical and emotional suffering to fellow Kenyans.
Following the deadly blast, the Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson has ordered the closure of all gas businesses operating in residential areas across the city.
President William Somomei Ruto who visited the site after the blast, said that licences had been wrongly issued for gas installations in residential areas because of incompetence and corruption of NEMA officials without mentioning their names and ordered that those responsible should be sacked and prosecuted for the crimes they have committed.
NEMA has said that a company, Maxxis Nairobi Energy, had obtained a permit to operate a gas plant at the site in February last year and said it had suspended four of its employees.
The huge inferno left a trail of destruction in the residential and industrial area, destroying vehicles, business premises and residential homes in Embakasi Neighbourhood which has a population of about 1 million people.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A truck loaded with gas exploded and set off a massive fireball that burned homes and warehouses in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, killing at least three people and injuring 280 people on Thursday night last week.
Kenya’s government vowed that those responsible would be held accountable for the explosion that took place in the Embakasi neighborhood, unleashing a trail of destruction and sending people running for their lives.
The Government spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura said on the social media said that vehicles, businesses and residential homes were engulfed by the flames and the wounded were rushed to various hospitals in the capital.
The blast took place at night when a good number of residents were still asleep, but the fire was eventually contained in the early morning hours by firefighters, Rescue teams and Police.
Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who also visited the site immediately after the blast on Friday, described the incident as tragic and unfortunate that has caused deep agony and great pain to many families.
Additional Reporting by Aljazzera And Agencies.
