They were attacked with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) when they were on routine patrol duties.
“During the attack, the troops repulsed the Al Shabaab militiamen killing three of them, while others escaped with multiple bullet wounds,” Military Spokesman Col David Obonyo said in a statement, adding that five KDF soldiers had been injured.
He said they also recovered two AK-47 rifles and 17 rounds of ammunition.
Kenyan forces have intensified security patrols at strategic places across the country, mainly on the border points and areas like Mombasa and Nairobi where Al Shabaab attacks are rampant.
On Tuesday, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet cautioned Kenyans against lowering their guard despite the end of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Kenya without any security incident.
In an exclusive interview with Capital FM News, Boinnet said Kenyans needed to remain alert and report any suspicious activity to the police using the hotline 999.
READ: Now is not the time to drop our guard – Boinnet
He said that while Kenyans may feel as though security had been relaxed following President Obama’s departure, “I am always alert and awake all the time, President Obama around or not,” he assured.
“My nightmare was that someone might sneak in and do something nasty but thank God what we had put in place worked and we are determined to keep them away from our borders, keep them away from our cities and keep this country safe.”
He said President Obama’s incident-free visit had bolstered Kenyan security forces’ confidence in their capabilities but taught them to, “trust but verify.”
“We actually surprised ourselves that what we ordinarily do in planning operations of this magnitude is the very same way Americans do. Obviously they’re much more advanced than us in terms of resources, but in our own little way we do our level best. What we learnt is paying attention to the minutest detail,” Boinnet said, and urged Kenyans to continue cooperating with authorities to keep Kenya safe.