Families in Witho, Juhudi and Salama areas in Lamu county were left stranded after armed goons burnt down their homes on Wednesday, July 12th.
Gabriel Kioni, the Deputy Commissioner of Lamu West, confirmed the incident to the media, stating that the police have launched an investigation into the matter.
Over the last two months, the area has experienced a spate of attacks which has forced residents to flee their homes and seek haven safe in areas perceived to be safer zones.
One of the places the residents have retreated to is Juhudi Primary School which now serves as a makeshift refugee camp.
The government identified the school as a potential shelter to resettle tens of residents affected by the escalating insecurity in the region. Initially, some of the residents had been illegally occupying private land leading to confrontation with locals.
During Wednesday's incident, the attackers attempted to storm Juhudi Primary school but security officers assigned to man the school responded leading to the death of one person.
“In total, we have lost one person, but a number of houses were also torched. Those houses did not have any occupants and were distributed across the area. There is a kilometre or so between where the houses were torched and where the person was killed, “ said Kioni.
According to a local resident who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke, a group of more than 20 heavily armed attackers unleashed terror in the area. During the attack, one of the assailants attempted to throw a grenade towards the camp, but it missed its intended target and struck a nearby tree, losing its trajectory.
Another resident of Salama area in Lamu County, who happened to be at the camp at the time of the attack, was distraught to learn that his house had been torched.
The resident said that he left his home in Salama and moved to Juhudi for security reasons.
According to the resident, upon hearing gunshots in the early hours of the night, the group of individuals camping at Juhudi Primary School quickly scampered for safety. Despite fearing for their own lives, the residents were more concerned about their property. Their fears were confirmed when they found out that their homes had been torched.
According to the school's headteacher, Amos Kingangi , the school has been forced to change its school schedule due to its new status of being a makeshift camp.
The school's leadership is now imploring the government to beef up security in the area to facilitate the return of the residents to their homes.
Local residents also called on the national and county government to deploy security agencies in the area to stem this menace.
