- All those killed were non residents and officials say they were intentionally targeted.
- The team from Nairobi intends to pursue all angles into the attack including terrorism by al Shabaab.
Image: THE STAR
A backup team has been sent to the Widhu, Majembeni in Lamu county where six villagers were killed by attackers.
The six were killed in the 11pm attack on Sunday.
Police said the suspected militants also torched several houses in the attack before escaping.
One of the victims was shot and killed at close range, another was hacked to death while the other four were burnt to death in their house, police and survivors said.
The team from Nairobi was sent to pursue all angles into the attack including terrorism by al Shabaab and claims that the attack could also have been caused by land issues pitting residents.
Officers who visited the scene said preliminary findings had shown the attack was perpetrated by residents fighting over land.
The planners, according to the police, wanted to stop the continued encroachment of their farms by farmers and other people who are mostly considered non residents.
All those who were killed were non-residents.
According to police, those hacked to death or targeted were well-known for aggressively agitating for land rights of the farmers and other crucial cases.
Investigations are ongoing.
“The attack was meant to appear as a terror attack by al Shabaab but from the information received from the ground, this is was not the case,” an officer said.
The official added that the attack was purely a criminal activity carried out by hired men and organised by the management of some farms there.
He cited the torching of an old vehicle and small structure within a farm there where security rangers guarding the facilities were not affected by the attackers.
Police had earlier been notified of the kidnapping of a resident on Sunday as well as the night attack at around 11 pm till dawn but did not respond.
The area is one of the most guarded following ongoing operations in the larger Lamu county.
Multi-agency teams visited the area on Monday and assured residents that those behind the attack would be caught and punished.
The incident reminded residents of similar attacks in 2014 that had dozens killed by bandits who targeted non residents at large.
It came two days after a boda boda rider was killed on New Years. His motorcycle ran over a bomb that was set on the road in Kiunga, Lamu county.
Officials who attended the scene said the Improvised Explosive Device had been set by al Shabaab militants sighted in the area.
The rider was ferrying khat to the Kenya-Somalia border when his motorcycle was hit. He died on the spot, police said.
Bomb experts said the explosive used in the attack was made using a different technology.
The attack prompted an operation in the area with several multi-agency teams being deployed.
In the Liboi area, along the main border, the teams stumbled on a fresh site that had been abandoned by escaping militants.
The site had foodstuffs and uniforms indicating the gang of about 50 had been there for a while.
There are fears they are planning an attack on security agencies and civilians.
This has prompted operations spanning from Mandera, Wajir, Lamu and parts of Kilifi counties.
Inspector General of police Hilary Mutyambai said they need public support even as the operation goes on.
The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border, which has been under attack by terrorists in the past.
Boni Forest is an operation zone as the national government has since 2015 conducted a multi-agency security exercise dubbed Linda Boni.
The exercise aims to flush out al Shabaab militants believed to be hiding there.
Kenya began the construction of the 700-kilometre long wall in 2015 to stop the militants from crossing into and out of Kenya.
The wall, which is known as the Kenya-Somalia border securitisation project is among others meant to secure the country from attacks by the Somalia-based al Shabaab terrorists.
The project plan includes having designated immigration and custom entry points with a two-foot-tall concrete wall fitted with CCTV cameras.
Trenches are also being constructed in the area.
The plan includes the creation of at least 22 border posts on the border with well-equipped personnel to respond to any form of aggression.
Officials say once complete, the teams will be spread 40 kilometres apart to enable quick response to attacks from militants.
The fence especially in Mandera and Lamu has helped reduce incidents of attacks by the militants who often crossed at will.
Research by government security agencies says 30 per cent of the country’s security problems are traced to the porous Somalia border often penetrated by terrorists.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)