Three people were killed in an attack at Angata Barikoi area at the border of Ntimaru and Transmara subcounties in Migori county on Sunday.
The men were shot and killed, then slashed by their attackers, police and witnesses said.
A group of raiders had invaded Gairoro area with an unknown motive when an alarm was raised.
When John Marwa Babere, 25, Sibora Mirumbe, 24 and Joseph Mwisari, 23, responded, they were met with fire.
They were all shot and slashed to death by the assailants.
Police said the assailants escaped the scene soon after the fatal shooting.
Police suspect the attackers were targeting animals in the area.
This raised tension in the area with locals demanding justice for the murder.
Police said they were pursuing the attackers for arrest and prosecution following the October 5, 2025 incident.
More personnel were sent to the area to ensure calm and stop planned retaliation.
The bodies were moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy.
The area is among those experiencing incidents of cattle rustling.
The government has responded by deploying special teams to tame the practice.
There is a team of Anti Anti-Stock Theft Unit which has been stationed in the area to manage the menace.
Officials said there are persistent attacks and counterattacks targeting livestock in the area amid a campaign to stop the same.
There is also the issue of land disputes, which is being solved by different government agencies, officials said.
In April 2025, at least six people were shot dead in a land dispute that turned bloody in the area.
As part of efforts to address the menace in other parts of the North Rift, the government launched 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 subsidised agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents in a bid to revive farming activities as a source of livelihood.
Meanwhile, in Mikinduri, Meru County, a man who was assaulted in a fight succumbed to the injuries.
Police said they are now investigating murder after Peter Kaarithi died in the incident while under medication at the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The body is lying at the mortuary after his death on October 4.
