Kenya says faulty electricity caused terror alarm in border town

Kenyan authorities on Tuesday confirmed that a faulty electricity line that exploded near the military camp in Garissa town in the country's northeast region caused a terror panic in the camp, prompting the officers to open fire arbitrarily.

Northeastern Regional Coordinator Ambassador Mohamud Saleh said the incident started Monday night when a loose power cables caused sparks and explosions, which the military took for an enemy attack on the camp.

"Power cables lying low behind the military camp touched each other, causing explosions that made the soldiers in the camp think they were under attack. The soldiers shot in the air sporadically as a precautionary," Saleh told journalists in Garissa.

The military camp is located in the heart of Garissa town.

And the incident lasted for close to 45 minutes with heavy random gun fire heard all over the town, and panicked residents deserting the town or retreating to their homes.

Unconfirmed reports said in the ensuing confusion, two donkeys strayed into the airstrip next to the military camp were shot dead.

Saleh said the military action was prompted by recent attack in El-Adde in southern Somalia that saw dozens of their colleagues killed when Al-Shabaab attacked their camp.

"It should be understood that our officers are still traumatized by what took place in Somalia and they are in high alert," he said.

The East African nation continues to suffer attacks as terrorists change tuck to beat heightened security and carry on with their heinous acts undetected.

Most of the attacks occurred in northeastern Kenya, mainly in Dadaab, Wajir, Garissa, and Mandera counties as well as along the Kenyan coast. Enditem