Five killed as bandits ambush police search team in Isiolo

Five people, including two police officers killed by bandits at the troubled grazing field of Gotu in Isiolo County on Wednesday.

The victims are a senior police officer, a police constable who was the driver of the vehicle that was ambushed by bandits, a livestock farmer and two National Police Reservists (NPR). The police officers were attached to an Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) located near Gotu trading centre.

The victims were part of a search team that was looking for an elderly man who reportedly went missing within the Gotu area and was last seen around Madho Gurba Huka, a grazing area in Chari Ward in Merti sub-county.

Isiolo County Police Commander Isaac Sang said the mentally challenged man from Barambate sub-location, Kulamawe location was reported missing a day ago.

The Isiolo camel keeper, reported to be related to the man who went missing, had requested police to search for him.

The mission turned tragic when the group was ambushed by armed bandits, killing all five on the spot.

The incident took place near the junction of Lososia-Merti road and Gotu-Merti route.

 Mr Sang said the bodies of the officers and other victims were removed to Isiolo County Teaching and Referral Hospital awaiting postmortem.

"A reinforcement (of security personnel) had been sent to the area which includes an armoured vehicle to pursue the attackers," said the police chief.

The police boss called for calm and cooperation from the residents while police pursue the suspects.

He said that investigation into the incident had commenced.

On Wednesday afternoon, a gunfight was reported between police reservists and the bandits on the western bank of the river.

"The reservists in the area pursued the attackers minutes after reports of the killings that led to an exchange of gunfire. We are told an unknown number of people have been injured," said a herdsman from Gotu who sought anonymity for security reasons.

A source from Isiolo County and Teaching and Referral Hospital revealed that two ambulances had been sent to Gotu to attend to the injured persons.

Gotu, along with Kom in Merti sub-county is a bandit hotspot in Isiolo that is attributed to competition over scarce pasture by rival herders from Isiolo, Samburu East and parts of Marsabit with local leaders calling for eviction of pastoralists from outside the County. Several people have been killed in the two locations since last year and hundreds of livestock stolen.

On August 1, two people were killed in the Garse Dabata area in Gotu and nearly 700 goats and sheep were stolen. Nearly all the stolen animals were recovered in operation undertaken by a multi-agency security team stationed in various locations along the Isiolo-Meru border.

Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen on two occasions called for an operation in parts of Isiolo, Laikipia, Samburu and Meru Counties that had experienced frequent cases of banditry and rustling.

However, leaders fault the CS for failure to take decisive action on insecurity that keeps on recurring in parts of Isiolo and Meru Counties. The leaders including Governor Abdi Guyo want herders from outside Isiolo who are in Kom and Gotu areas to be evicted.