A senior police officer was on Tuesday evening killed and three others seriously injured by armed cattle rustlers at Marti area in Samburu North sub county.
While confirming the incident Samburu County Police Commander Karanja Muiruri said that the deceased, a police inspector, was leading officers in a recovery operation of livestock stolen at Suyian village.
He further added that the officers had already recovered 50 herds of cattle when they came face to face with the rustlers.
Two children, a boy and a girl aged 10 and 11 years respectively were also abducted by cattle rustlers at Suyian village.
"After rescuing the children on Monday, darkness struck and we had to suspend the operation until Tuesday afternoon after national police reservists traced footsteps of the suspected cattle rustlers to Charda area," Karanja said.
He added that while on their way back to Marti police station with the cattle they were ambushed, a situation that forced them in a gunfire exchange up to 6 pm when a police inspector was shot dead.
"Unfortunately we lost one of our inspectors and we have three injured,” he said.
The injured are admitted at Samburu County Referral Hospital in Maralal town.
The deceased’s body is kept at the same hospital’s mortuary.
The Medical Superintendent at the hospital Dr Silas Lodoke said the victims who sustained various injuries have been attended to by doctors and are in stable condition.
Lokode said that the doctors are attending to the victims in the theatre after which they will be referred to Nairobi for specialised treatment.
