At least four fishermen have been confirmed dead after a harrowing attack in Todonyang, Turkana County, on the morning of Thursday, May 15.
Reports indicate that the four were on a fishing expedition when gunshots were heard around 4 am.
Area chief Mustafa Kebo said the fishermen were ambushed by their assailants as they went about fishing. "They had let their guards down after casting their nets into the water," he said.
Residents waited until morning before venturing out to see what had happened. That was when they discovered the bodies of the four fishermen atop a water vessel on the lakeshore.
“Gunshots were heard at the lakeshore. When residents went to check in the morning, they found four bodies," the area chief said.
Locals and area leaders suspect the Dassanech militia from Ethiopia could be behind an attack, which is similar to one which took place in the same area nearly two months ago.
On February 22, at least 20 Kenyan fishermen lost their lives at the Todonyang border point along Lake Turkana after suspected gunmen ambushed and opened fire at them.
The attack was believed to be a retaliatory one, as it came after three Dassanech fishermen had been shot and killed by a bandit 36 hours earlier.
Since the February attack, the government has taken several measures to heighten security across border counties, while also ensuring tensions between warring communities have been de-escalated.
One of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen's biggest resolves after the Todonyang incident was to arm police reservists and area chiefs with sophisticated weapons to give them a fighting chance against enemies.
The Todonyang attack incidentally comes just days after National Intelligence Service director Noordin Haji raised concern about security on the country's borders, as he claimed agencies had to make do with outdated equipment due to chronic underfunding.
According to the NIS boss, the agency was allocated Ksh51 billion in the 2024/2025 financial year - a figure which was Ksh14 billion less than what NIS requested.
