Fafi Member of Parliament Salah Yakub's entourage was waylaid and attacked by unknown people at the Dagega area in Garissa County as he was travelling back from a burial ceremony.
Yaku had, on Thursday, August 17, attended the funeral of a constituent who was reportedly killed in a clash between two communities in Garissa County.
According to the MP, his convoy was surrounded by the gunmen, who he claimed were politically instigated to eliminate him.
In an attempt to escape the attack, Yakub's bodyguards returned fire as the convoy drivers, trained in defence driving, swiftly manoeuvred the vehicles to protect him.
Police officers who were part of the convoy also repulsed the attackers in a crossfire that lasted for nearly half an hour.
"I had a convoy of around eight vehicles with which I attended a funeral. One hour into the journey, as we were driving back to Garissa, we were under heavy fire," MP Yakub told the media after surviving the attack.
According to the MP, the attackers had seemingly intended to kill him as the barrage of bullets was notably focused around the car that had conveyed him to the funeral.
"It took us around 40 minutes before we could move out of the area. Most of the cars in front were badly damaged due to the shooting," Yakub, a pharmacist by profession, recalled.
"The vehicles which were under attack from the back managed to return to the village where we had gone to bury our loved one," he added.
Yakub further alleged that the gunmen were funded by his political detractors who were intent on derailing him from serving his constituents, claims that Kenyans.co.ke could not independently verify.
Subsequently, the Fafi MP, allied with the government, was escorted to Bura Police Station, where he recorded a statement paving the way for investigations to commence. He also claimed that the investigative authorities were able to identify the assailants.
"Fafi Constituency is currently in serious tension following attacks. We have lost many people following yesterday's attack where one of the gunmen was killed by the Kenya Police Reservists (KPR)," the MP revealed.
He promised to rally security agencies to work closely with communities in his constituency in order to apprehend the suspects behind the attack.
On Thursday, August 17, Northeastern Regional police boss John Otieno confirmed that unknown gunmen killed six people at the Bukore area in Garissa County on Wednesday, August 16.
According to Otieno, the attacks were fueled by an inter-clan conflict over the resources in Garissa County and the larger North Eastern region.
“The victims were asked to identify themselves before they were shot at close range. All the deceased are from the same clan,” Otieno told the media.
