Five people, among them two police officers, have reportedly been killed in a bandit attack in Gotu, Isiolo County.
Isiolo Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo confirmed the deaths on Wednesday, September 16, as he condemned the latest incident, which has raised fresh concerns over insecurity in the area.
“I strongly condemn the latest bandit attack in the Gotu area that has claimed the lives of five people, including two police officers. It is deeply saddening and unacceptable that our people and security officers continue to lose their lives to armed banditry. These repeated attacks are causing fear, disrupting livelihoods and undermining peace in our communities,” he wrote in a statement.
One of the officers killed was reportedly a Chief Inspector attached to the Gotu Administration Police Service Tactical Unit camp.
The victims were said to be part of a group that had gone to look for the body of an elderly man who was allegedly killed by suspected bandits at Madho Gurba Huka, a grazing area in Chari Ward, on Tuesday.
Reports from the area indicated that suspected bandits ambushed the search party, resulting in an exchange of gunfire between the attackers and security officers.
A resident of Gotu said three elders who had accompanied the group in the search were also among those reportedly killed during the attack.
The incident comes amid a series of banditry attacks reported in Isiolo County in recent months, heightening concerns over insecurity and growing tensions among local communities.
Last week, a police constable was shot after an Anti-Stock Theft Unit patrol team was reportedly ambushed by suspected bandits in Kakili, Burat Ward. In August, two people were also killed in a suspected bandit attack along the Meru-Isiolo border.
Following the latest attack, Governor Guyo urged Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and national security agencies to intensify security operations in Gotu and neighbouring areas.
He called for increased patrols, improved intelligence gathering and swift action to identify and arrest those behind the attacks.
“I urge the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration Kipchumba Murkomen and the national security agencies to urgently strengthen security operations in Gotu and the surrounding areas, enhance patrols and intelligence gathering and take decisive action against those responsible,” he added.
Security agencies have stepped up efforts to address insecurity in the region, including a crackdown on illegal firearms in Isiolo that has resulted in the recovery of several guns.
In March, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen declared parts of Laikipia, Meru and Isiolo counties as security-disturbed and dangerous areas, paving the way for a month-long operation targeting criminals linked to a series of recent attacks.
