Gunmen struck a village in Maikona, Marsabit County and killed three herders in a failed attempt to steal livestock.
The gang also
shot and injured a herder as they tried to drive off in vain with the animals
from the Dambala Bathana village on September 6, 2025.
Witnesses said
about 100 armed men raided the village with an aim of stealing the animals when
they opened fire, killing the men aged 48, 49, and 50 on the spot.
The injured was
rushed to hospital with a knee joint injury. Some of the herders in the village
responded by shooting at the gunmen, forcing them to abandon their mission and
escape, police said.
Police said by
the time a team had responded to the scene, the gang had escaped out of the
village while shooting to the air.
At least 40
spent cartridges were recovered at the scene, police said.
An operation was mounted in the area in a vain hunt for the gunmen.
There are fears of
retaliation in the area, and police have increased patrols in the expansive area
to address the same.
This is the latest such an attack amid ongoing
operations targeting banditry.
The area is among those under Operation Maliza Uhalifu aimed at dealing with bandits.
The operation has managed to contain crime in the area and other counties amid persistence.
The operation targets Baringo, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu, Marsabit, Meru, and Isiolo counties.
Besides retributive reaction, strategic investment and sustainable development have also taken a prominent place among the government’s planned crime control interventions for Kenya’s Northern frontier and the Kerio Valley belt.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the long-term vision is to empower the communities to actively take part in the war against animal rustling and undertake legitimate nation-building activities.
He said plans to distribute subsidized agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents in a bid to revive farming activities as a source of livelihood.
Murkomen ordered fresh vetting for all National Police Reservists (NPRs) as part of efforts to bolster the operations.
He said plans to distribute subsidized agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents in a bid to revive farming activities as a source of livelihood.
“We are coming to dismantle not only the criminals themselves but also to bring down the entire chain that has been the cattle and livestock rustling industry,” he said.
He also announced a new policy shift, which
institutionalizes the command structure of the NPR officers, stating they will
hence be under the direct command of the Officer Commanding Police Stations
(OCS) as part of efforts to enhance their operations.
The attacks have affected development at large. Most of the stolen animals are driven to urban centres and in particular where they are slaughtered and sold as products.
