Explosion kills 3, wounds 75 at political rally in Kenyan capital

Explosion kills 3, wounds 75 at Kenya rally

NAIROBI, Kenya — An explosion ripped through a park in Nairobi’s capital during a packed political rally late Sunday, killing three people and wounding 75, officials said.

The rally was held to protest a draft constitution the country will vote on in August. The country’s president and prime minister support it, but several prominent political leaders do not.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga confirmed the toll of dead and wounded. He said officials don’t yet know the cause of the blast.

“It is a very, very regrettable incident, and this incident is condemned in the strongest terms possible,” Odinga said at the site of the blast. “We don’t know as yet the cause of this incident.”

A prominent backer of the campaign against the draft constitution, Agriculture Minister William Ruto, attended the rally.

“We want to tell those responsible for this that Kenya will not have a new constitution through intimidation, through blackmail, through bribery or through violence,” Ruto said.

The blast took place in Uhuru Park, a wide expanse of green space in the middle of downtown Nairobi. Hundreds of people attended the rally.