A Nairobi politician caused a stir on Tuesday when he joined security forces in evacuating hundreds of Kenyans trapped at Dusit Hotel complex in the capital following a suspected terrorist attack.
Mr Steve Mbogo, a former Starehe constituency aspirant put of a bulletproof vest and was armed with an automatic rifle, a move that caught many people with surprise given the cost of his arsenal.
When contacted, Mbogo however said he's a licensed gun holder and had to cheap in to rescue the situation before police officers intervened.
"I am a licensed firearms holder. I was running my errands near the dusitD2 Hotel here in Nairobi, when I learnt that the facility was under a terror attack. Because I was in a position to help, given I have good knowledge on how to handle firearms and protect myself against such situations, I went in to help in the rescue operations.
"If you are asking in what capacity I was there, I would tell you: I was there as a civilian, who is mandated by law to handle firearms,” Mr Mbogo told EDAILY. https://edaily.co.ke/entertainment/bulletproof-clad-steve-mbogo-explains-his-presence-at-14-riverside-during-terror-attack-134967/enews/ekenyan/
According to him, Recce Squad officers had gained access to the building and had managed to push the suspected Al Shabaab militants to one side of the building thus making evacuation easy.
Mr Mbogo lost narrowly to Charles Njagua alias Jaguar in the hotly contested race and is one of the closest allies of ODM leader Raila Odinga besides being a key campaigner in the capital city.
The government insists that the building has since been secured even though the number of casualties is yet to be established by authorities. Eyewitnesses however claim that at least five people died on the spot.