NAIROBI WESTGATE SHOOT-OUT KILLS OVER 11 IN KENYA

A number of suspected Somali al-Shabab militants stormed the Westgate shopping centre in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Saturday throwing grenades and firing automatic weapons.

Eleven people have died in a gun battle inside a Nairobi shopping centre, says a senior Kenyan security official.

Mutea Iringo blamed "armed criminals" and said police were in control of a "very serious situation". Officers are going shop to shop to secure the area. The Kenyan Red Cross says 30 died.

Eyewitnesses saw armed men in black entering the Westgate shopping centre on Saturday afternoon.

The Somali militant group al-Shabab has said it carried out the attack.

On its Twitter feed, the al-Qaeda-linked group said it confirmed it was behind what it called the "Westgate spectacle".

Al-Shabab has carried out a string of attacks in Kenya since 2011, when Kenyan troops moved into southern Somalia to fight the militants there.

Some eyewitnesses told AFP news agency they had heard the gunmen speaking Arabic or Somali.

Other witnesses said Muslims were told to leave and that non-Muslims would be targeted.

"They came and said: 'If you are Muslim, stand up. We've come to rescue you," said Elijah Lamau.

He said the Muslims left with their hands up, and then the gunmen shot two people.

The US state department says it has reports that American citizens were injured in what it called "a senseless act of violence".

 

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LWAKATARE ALIGAWA BUNGE

SAKATA la Mkurugenzi wa Ulinzi na Usalama wa Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), Wilfred Lwakatare na Ludovick Rwezaula kushtakiwa kwa makosa ya ugaidi, limeibua mvutano mkali bungeni huku wabunge wakishambuliana kwa maneno makali.

Mvutano huo uliibuka jana wakati wa kujadili hotuba ya bajeti ya Ofisi ya Waziri Mkuu kwa mwaka wa fedha 2013/2014 ambapo Mbunge wa Iramba Magharibi, Mwigulu Nchemba (CCM) alichafua hewa wakati akichangia na kudai kuwa aliyerekodi video ya Lwakatare yupo tayari kuja kutoa ushahidi.

Mwigulu ambaye pia ni Naibu Katibu Mkuu wa CCM (Bara) aliliambia Bunge kuwa CHADEMA wasihangaike kujitetea kwa swala la Lwakatare kwani ushahidi wote kuhusu video hiyo upo na kwamba yuko tayari kuutoa bungeni, duniani na mbinguni.

“Nataka nitoe ufafanuzi kuhusu suala la ugaidi ambalo Mwenyekiti wa CHADEMA, Freeman Mbowe amezungumza kwenye hotuba yake hapa bungeni jana. Aliyerekodi mkanda yupo na mimi niko tayari kuhojiwa popote hata mbinguni,” alisema Mwigulu na kuibua nderemo kutoka kwa wabunge wa CCM.

Mwigulu alionyesha karatasi aliyodai kuwa ilitumiwa na Lwakatare kupanga kile alichodai kuwa ni mkakati wa mauaji akisema huo ndiyo mkakati wa CHADEMA kupanga mauaji na kwamba viongozi wakuu wa chama hicho wanapaswa kushtakiwa.

Bila kujali kwamba suala hilo liko mahakamani wala ni kinyume cha kanuni za Bunge kumtaja mbunge mwingine kwa jina akimtuhumu, Mwigulu alisema anaishangaa CHADEMA kumtaka yeye aunganishwe kwenye kesi kwa kuwa na mawasiliano na mmoja wa watuhumiwa wakati hata wao wana mawasiliano na Lwakatare.

“Alisema Mbowe hapa jana kuwa mimi napaswa kushtakiwa kwa ugaidi, ingawa simuoni hapa ndani labda tayari amekwishakamatwa na polisi, lakini nataka kusema kuwa watu hawa ni waongo na wanafiki. Wanapanga mauaji halafu wanakuja hapa kuwahadaa wananchi kuwa wanapinga ugaidi,” alidai.

Hatua hiyo ya Mwigulu kumtaja Mbowe kwa jina na chama chake kuwa ni magaidi, iliwashtua baadhi ya wabunge wakishangaa kuona Spika wa Bunge, Anne Makinda akishindwa kutumia kanuni kumbana na kumtaka afute kauli ana atoe uthibitisho.

Baada ya kuona Makinda anakuwa na kigugumizi, baadhi ya wabunge wa CHADEMA, Joseph Selasini (Rombo), Mustafa Akunaay (Mbulu), Pauline Gekul (Viti Maalumu) walijaribu kusimama kuomba mwongozo lakini walikataliwa.