The incident happened on the evening of January
19, 2026 evening after a group of armed forest rangers from Lurambi Forest
intercepted a tractor carrying an unknown amount of sand, police said.
The rangers argued there was
illegal sand harvesting in the Ondolo area along River Isikhu. According to the
police, when they stopped the tractor, the crew raised an alarm, alerting a mob
who started to pelt stones and wigs at the rangers.
This prompted the rangers to
open fire and fatally wounded Godfrey Muyonga, 52, and Benedict Isiakali, 34.
A third man was shot and
seriously wounded in the leg, Western Region Police Commander Issa Mohamud
said.
He added the police had launched
investigations into the drama.
The mob attacked and chased the
rangers from the scene and set on fire their motorcycle in the drama.
The police said the rangers
escaped the scene and were yet to be traced on Tuesday. One was rescued and
rushed to the hospital with an injury in the leg, police said.
Police arrived at the scene past
midnight and moved the bodies to the mortuary pending an autopsy and other
procedures.
Police said they are
investigating the incident even as tension remained high in the area.
Officials have banned sand
harvesting in the area as part of the preservation of the environment.
A security team visited the area
on Tuesday as part of efforts to contain the rising tensions.
The police commander said they
were holding meetings in the area even as they investigate the tragedy.
“We urge all concerned parties
to be calm as experts carry out investigations into this incident,” he said.
They said sand harvesting remains banned in the area. The locals demanded justice for the killing of the harvesters.
Meanwhile, a 45-year-old man was killed by a speeding train in the Shimanzi area,
Mombasa. The police identified him as Joab Bukachi.
His body was found on the
railway line after the accident on Monday, police said.
The body was moved to the
mortuary pending an autopsy and other investigations over the accident
involving the man who was a security guard at the scene.
And a man was
stoned to death after he had slashed a villager in an argument over missing
cows in Kehancha, Migori County.
The two men had
argued over a missing cow when one of them accused the other of claiming he was
a thief. He then slashed the colleague, injuring him in the stomach. A mob
responded and stoned the assailant, killing him.
The injured was taken to the hospital, while the body was moved to the mortuary.
