MOMBASA BAR BLAST CALLED OPPORTUNISTIC CRIME
News last night that the Jericho Bar in the Kisauni area of Mombasa, NOT frequented by tourists it should be mentioned, was subject to a grenade being thrown into the premises, was by tourism sources called an opportunistic crime like similar incidents previously in Nairobi but not part of a wider campaign as was suggested by the US Embassys decision to withdraw all their personnel from Kenyas Indian Ocean port city. At least one person was reported killed while up to a dozen others sustained various degrees of injuries and are admitted in hospitals around Mombasa for treatment.
This has happened in Nairobi before and some of the culprits were caught. They are individuals and probably not part of a bigger network. In fact, personally I think that whoever did this was responding to the US Embassy warning and their pull out of their staff from Mombasa just to show off. Our industry has already condemned the way the US mission has acted, quite irresponsibly in fact by the consensus we have formed, but blaring out such information the way they did. If they have any detailed knowledge, they should share it with our government or use their dozens of foreign agents roaming around here to track them and arrest them or snatch them. But not in this way they did it which was highly alarmist. I think whoever authorized this is an idiot and should be sent home to Washington. Let them not use this incident to justify the hysteria they have caused and the damage they have done to our industry said a regular Mombasa source, on condition of the strictest anonymity, no surprise considering the candid words which brought ouch to mind.
The Kenyan government too has demanded that the controversial statement be recalled with one source in Nairobi calling it highly irregular and not in the spirit of friendly relations.
True enough though one should not shoot the messenger unless that is, the messenger invents the messages. Watch this space.
