According to the police, the deadly weapons were to be used for terror attacks targeting the city.
Following the recovery, police on Friday said they were looking for eight suspects who were planning to carry out terrorist attacks with the weapons.
Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe told journalists at the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit that the eight are believed to be accomplices in the intended commission of crimes using the ammunition recovered.
Police have called on dealers in motor vehicle and bicycle ball bearings to scrutinise their customers carefully as the explosives recovered were made from the materials.
According to the police, one of the suicide bomb vests has a capacity of killing over 70 people.
“The bearings used are very lethal especially when mixed with explosives. These ball bearings which are used as projectiles are easy to find in the market and so we appeal those who stock them to adopt a ‘know your customer’ policy on any person buying these things in large numbers,” advised the spokesman.
The police spokesman said that Nairobi would have been the likely target although various other towns with large populations would have been likely targets.
Detectives from the Special Crimes Prevention Unit and Flying Squad said they stumbled on the weapons as they pursued information of four suspects of Somali origin who had brought in rifles.
The weapons are believed to have originated from Somalia. Six of the grenades are Chinese made and the rest from Russia, said the head of bomb disposal unit Eliud Lagat.
Each of the four rifles had four magazines with 30 bullets.
The raid was conducted by detectives from the Anti-Terror Police Unit, Flying Squad and Special Crime Prevention Unit.
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