The two others are villagers who were shot by heavily armed bandits who drove away hundreds of livestock from villages, according to police and the Kenya Red Cross/FILE
The two others are villagers who were shot by heavily armed bandits who drove away hundreds of livestock from villages, according to police and the Kenya Red Cross.
“One person is still admitted to the Isiolo referral hospital and four others succumbed to injuries,” the Kenya Red Cross said in a brief statement.
Isiolo Police Chief Nelson Okioga confirmed the incident, saying “an investigation has been initiated and we hope to get them (attackers).
The incident comes barely three weeks after a similar one in Kapedo, Turkana where 21 police officers were ambushed and killed by bandits.
The government has since deployed the military to the affected area to mop up illegal firearms, besides recovered the ones stolen from the slain officers.
Local leaders are however opposed to the military deployment which, they say, is unconstitutional.
Deputy President William Ruto has however, defended the military deployment in security operations such as the one in Kapedo, saying every means possible must be used to restore order.
Speaking on the ‘Capital In The Morning’ radio show on Tuesday, he indicated that officers deployed in the area have clear instructions to operate within the law.
“The KDF is a Kenyan asset, paid for by the people of Kenya and manned by Kenyans. The KDF is trained for the job of the military but ours also stand out in serving in many peacekeeping efforts everywhere around the world. The KDF legally in accordance with our laws and the Constitution can be deployed to contain situations in our country,” he said.
“As a country, when the situation demands, we mobilise every resource that we have because security is a major concern to every Kenyan and therefore, I do not think that we should spare any effort and we should spare no resource when the security situation in the country is called to question.”
The Deputy President stressed that security chiefs are under firm instructions to ensure security prevails in the country.
“What you get to hear is a real fraction of what really happens. If the police or the Ministry of Interior were to tell citizens how much the police have accomplished; how much terrorist activities have been dealt with – which has not come to the public – you would actually be congratulating our security agencies,” he said.
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