A Kenyan civil engineer, James Karigi, was killed on Thursday, July 31, 2025, after armed gunmen ambushed his vehicle on a volatile stretch of the Morobo-Kaya road in South Sudan.
The attack also left a fellow Kenyan and two other individuals unaccounted for, prompting an urgent search and a heightened security alert in the region.
Karigi, was on his way to procure materials for a project when his vehicle was attacked near the town of Bazi, three miles from Morobo town. According to Morobo County Commissioner Charles Bullen, the assailants opened fire before setting the car on fire, where Karigi’s body was later recovered.
The fate of his colleague, also a Kenyan, and two motorcycle riders who were reportedly accompanying them, remains unknown. Authorities have launched a search operation, but so far, their whereabouts have not been established.
According to reports, the attack marks the third fatal incident this month along the dangerous Morobo-Kaya route, and comes amid rising insecurity in the region.
County Commissioner Bullen, confirming that the attackers ambushed the vehicle, set it on fire and then fled, the tragic event and called on authorities to intervene, stressing that such acts of violence are not only harming civilians but also crucial humanitarian operations.
South Sudanese government security officers responded quickly and neutralised one of the attackers, who was a member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO).
Officials say investigations are ongoing, and the Kenyan Embassy in Juba has been notified.
This is not the first time Kenyans have been caught up in violence in the region. In recent weeks, several Kenyan nationals working in Sudan and South Sudan have reported being harassed or attacked as fighting continues between rival armed groups in the countries.
In May 2025, Kenyan pilots, including Michael George Oluoch Nyamodi, lost their lives when their cargo plane was shot down in Darfur, Sudan. The aircraft was believed to be supplying the RSF, and all 20 people on board perished.
Earlier in the conflict, Kenya evacuated hundreds of its citizens from Khartoum amid escalating violence between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF.
At one point, approximately 3,000 Kenyans were stranded, and Kenyan officials urged them to register with the embassy.
The Kenyan embassy in Khartoum has since closed due to threats to its staff by armed groups in the city.
