Three police officers killed, five injured in ambush by rustlers in Samburu

Three police officers killed in an ambush by cattle rustlers in Samburu.

Three police officers are among four people who were Wednesday killed while five others were injured in an ambush by cattle rustlers in Samburu East, Samburu County.

Police say the officers were tracking down stolen animals when they were ambushed.

According to police, the officers had found the animals and were loading them to a lorry when they were attacked by armed herders. The rustlers managed to drive away the animals before reinforcement arrived at the scene.

The fourth person who was killed was a peace crusader who had accompanied the officers to the area.

Samburu County police commander Alfred Ageng’o said the officers were ambushed by people suspected to be cattle rustlers. He added the survivors had multiple injuries out of shooting.

"We lost three police officers in the attack. More security personnel have been deployed to the area to pursue the assailants," Ageng’o said.

The officers were drawn from different formations including the General Service Unit.

A major operation is planned in the area to track down the attackers. Last year, more than a dozen security personnel were killed in the same area in similar circumstances. Another group of 42 officers had been killed in nearby Suguta Valley in an ambush in 2012.