How driver's heroic act saved passengers in Wajir bus Shabaab attack

At least three people are nursing injuries in Wajir after a bus they were travelling in was sprayed with bullets by unknown gunmen on Tuesday morning.

The three were among passengers travelling from Nairobi to Mandera when their vehicle was stopped by armed men, but the driver defied.

"Two men appeared on the road and signalled our driver to stop. The driver sped off instead and they shot at the bus. Three passengers sustained gunshot wounds," said Martinmad Adan, one of the victims.

He said the bus, christened Ambasa, had just left Tarbaj town in Wajir County.

"The driving skills of the bus driver saved us. We had a flat tyre but he kept on driving," the victim added. 

Confirming the 9am incident, Wajir County Commissioner Karuko Ngumo said the area was under security surveillance. 

"There was an incident where a bus was shot at by people we suspect to be members of al-Shabaab militants. We have our security officers on the ground responding to the situation," Mr Ngumo said by telephone. 

The Wajir County Security Committee boss could neither confirm nor deny the injuries of the three passengers. 

Normalcy returns

"We have reported sightings of the al-Shabaab militants in the area and we are doing all we can to ensure that normalcy returns," he said. 

The bus attack came barely a day after North Eastern regional commissioner John Otieno revealed that the militants were in four sub-counties in Wajir.

"We are currently patrolling the roads and I confirm to all road users that the situation is under control," Mr Ngumo said.

Al-Shabaab militants have a history of attacking buses in the region, targeting non-locals using public vehicles.

In cases where non-locals are not found in the buses, the militants lecture the passengers and warn them to report them to security agencies before letting them go.

Since 2015, attacks on buses have forced the government to ban non-locals from using certain roads when travelling to Mandera County.