Four people were on Monday morning shot dead and two left with seriously injured at Lomelo village in Turkana East Sub County in an ambush by suspected bandits from neighboring Tiaty, Baringo County.
Turkana East Sub County Commissioner Said Safu Shaaban said the attackers laid an ambush on residents who were driving their livestock to the nearby rugged hills which are currently the most reliable source of pasture for drought hit border area.
"The bandits successful drove away unknown number of goats with efforts by Rapid Deployment Unit officers stationed at the village hitting a snag due to the poor terrain," Mr Shaaban said.
He said that the armed bandits capitalized on lack of motorable roads towards the hills to necessitate a successful recovery mission.
"As much as we have been trying our efforts to recover the livestock, the exercise was impossible due to poor terrain. We have to now to bank on the local structures led by elders from both the Turkana and Pokot communities execute it as well as advocate for peaceful coexistence," the DCC said.
He noted that due to prolonged drought, safe grazing fields have been shrinking and water points drying up a situation that has been exposing innocent herders to insecurity.
The fresh bandit attack comes after The National Police Service on January 23, announced that a joint operation team in Turkana County recovered 2, 700 sheep and goats that had been reported stolen by bandits.
"The livestock was positively identified and handed over to the owners with the help of the local administration. NPS appreciates the local community for their support as we endeavour to end cattle rusting and banditry in the country," NPS said in a statement.
Early January, leaders from Turkana County attributed the sustained bandit attacks along the border with West Pokot and Baringo Counties that have result to mass displacement and killings of innocent residents to 'untouchable financiers and inciters'.
Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai, MPs Nicholas Ngikor (Turkana East), Emathe Namuar (Turkana Central) and John Ariko (Turkana South) asked the Ministry of Interior to urgently act by arresting them to end the atrocities.
Mr Lomorukai said that the financiers and perpetrators have been taking advantage of what they perceived as primitivity of border residents to promote cattle rustling.
