Two passenger service vehicles (PSVs) full of passengers were on Thursday, March 17 sprayed with bullets by unknown gunmen along the Kitale-Lodwar Highway.
The vehicles were ambushed by armed bandits in the stretch between the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) camp and Kainuk Centre.
Three passengers who sustained gunshot wounds were ferried to the Kainuk Health Centre where they are receiving treatment.
According to the driver of one of the vehicles, he was flagged down by three men but defied their order and sped off. The bandits resorted to opening fire at his matatu.
“He accelerated prompting the bandits to shoot twice at the front side of the vehicle. During the incident, the driver and one passenger who occupied the front seat suffered gunshot wounds,” the report read in part.
The driver drove to Kainuk Health Centre where the injured passengers received medical attention. Among the injured passengers was a Spanish national who was in critical condition.
Notably, the driver was shot on his right thigh but was discharged from the medical facility. Motorists plying the route were asked to exercise extra caution while using the road.
The incident marks the second in as many months that passenger vehicles have been sprayed with bullets. In December 2021, a PSV plying the Isiolo-Moyale Isiolo highway was attacked by bandits.
Two occupants of the vehicle were injured when the more than 20 bandits emerged from bushes along the road and opened fire at the car, injuring the driver and one passenger.
Notably, government vehicles have also suffered attacks by unknown gunmen. On January 27, a vehicle ferrying a judge, police officers and court employees was sprayed with bullets in Lamu County.
According to the Coast Regional Commissioner, John Elungata, the attack was suspected to have been carried out by suspected Al Shabaab militants. Luckily, none of the vehicle occupants was seriously injured.
"All the occupants in the Judiciary vehicle are safe. Security teams responded immediately and repulsed (the attackers),” Elungata stated.
