A tragic incident occurred in Isiolo County, Kenya, on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of five individuals, including two police officers, during a police search operation. The victims were ambushed by bandits at the troubled grazing field of Gotu. The police officers, attached to an Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), were part of a search team looking for a missing elderly man.
The missing person, a mentally challenged man from Barambate sub-location, Kulamawe location, was reported missing a day ago. A camel keeper from Isiolo, related to the missing man, had requested police assistance in finding him. The search mission turned tragic when the group was ambushed by armed bandits near the junction of Lososia-Merti road and Gotu-Merti route, resulting in the deaths of all five individuals on the spot.
The victims included a senior police officer, a police constable who was the driver of the vehicle, a livestock farmer, and two National Police Reservists (NPR). Isiolo County Police Commander Isaac Sang reported that the bodies of the officers and other victims were taken to Isiolo County Teaching and Referral Hospital for postmortem examination.
In response to the incident, a reinforcement of security personnel, including an armoured vehicle, was sent to the area to pursue the attackers. The police boss called for calm and cooperation from residents while police pursue the suspects. An investigation into the incident has commenced.
Following the killings, a gunfight was reported between police reservists and the bandits on the western bank of the river. The reservists pursued the attackers, resulting in an exchange of gunfire, with an unknown number of people reportedly injured.
Gotu, along with Kom in Merti sub-county, is a known bandit hotspot in Isiolo, attributed to competition over scarce pasture by rival herders from Isiolo, Samburu East, and parts of Marsabit. Local leaders have called for the eviction of pastoralists from outside the County. Several people have been killed in the two locations since last year, and hundreds of livestock have been stolen.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen had previously called for an operation in parts of Isiolo, Laikipia, Samburu, and Meru Counties that experienced frequent cases of banditry and rustling. However, leaders have faulted the CS for failure to take decisive action on insecurity that keeps recurring in parts of Isiolo and Meru Counties, with Governor Abdi Guyo wanting herders from outside Isiolo evicted.
Key points
- Five people, including two police officers, were killed by bandits during a search operation in Isiolo County.
- The incident occurred in a known bandit hotspot area, with competition over scarce pasture cited as a cause.
- The police have launched an investigation and are pursuing the suspects.
