A Public Service Vehicle (PSV) ferrying passengers was on Thursday, December 16, attacked by bandits along the Isiolo-Moyale highway.
Samburu East Deputy Police Commander Juma Boy confirmed the incident that left two people nursing injuries at the Isiolo Referral Hospital.
Police stated that on Thursday, December 16, 2021, more than twenty bandits emerged from bushes along the Isiolo-Moyale highway and opened fire at the matatu injuring the driver and a passenger.
Boy stated that although the driver was injured in the attack he did not stop the vehicle. He continued to drive for close to a kilometre before he slowed down to ask for help.
The Deputy Police Commander further stated that police officers were already hunting down the attackers who fled the scene.
He went on to explain that preliminary investigations showed that the attackers could be Samburu Morans who had recently undergone the rite of passage.
Residents urged the county government to facilitate the clearance of bushes by the roadsides which they stated was used as hideouts by bandits planning to attack motorists along the highway.
This comes amid a fierce operation by the government in Laikipia County to quell attacks orchestrated by bandits. Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, disclosed that the militia disguised themselves as herders as a tactical evasion measure.
Police were warned to be alert at all times as these herders easily breached security measures.
Efforts by the government to peacefully evict them from the conservancies have failed, as the herders were reported to have defied multiple orders.
"The conservancy remains an active multi-agency operation zone, and the public are requested to remain calm," the National Police Service (NPS) cautioned.
"We have reinforcements on the ground pursuing the attackers,” Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Fred Ochieng’ added.
Reports indicate that a combined group of more than 20 police officers, reservists and KDF officers have been killed in the area this year.
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