At least one person was killed after a lorry he was traveling in rolled following a shooting incident in Baragoi, Samburu County.
Police said at least 13 other people who were on the lorry were injured and taken to hospital with multiple injuries.
At least 39 goats were killed while 36 others were stolen in the attack in the Seren area on the Loyangalani- Laisamis road.
A driver told police he was headed for Laisamis on April 28 with 101 heads of sheep goats on the lorry when gunmen opened fire on him.
There were 18 people on the lorry. Most people board lorries ferrying animals as a mode of their transport.
Four gunmen who had been waiting opened fire forcing the lorry to roll. This killed one of those on board together with 39 goats, police said.
Police who visited the scene said five people survived with no injuries while 13 sustained various injuries and were escorted to Laisamis Hospital for treatment. The lorry was towed to South Horr police post awaiting further police action.
By then, the gang had escaped the scene with the stolen goats.
A team of police was sent to pursue them.
The area is among those under a special operation to address the cattle rustling menace.
The operation has managed to contain crime in the area and other counties amid persistence.
The operation targets Baringo, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu, Marsabit, Meru and Isiolo counties.
Besides retributive reaction, strategic investment and sustainable development have also taken a prominent place among the government’s planned crime control interventions for Kenya’s Northern frontier and the Kerio Valley belt.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the long-term vision is to empower the communities to actively take part in the war against animal rustling and undertake legitimate nation-building activities.
He said plans to distribute subsidized agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents in a bid to revive farming activities as a source of livelihood.
Murkomen ordered fresh vetting for all National Police Reservists (NPRs) as part of efforts to bolster the operations.
He said plans to distribute subsidized agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents in a bid to revive farming activities as a source of livelihood.
“We are coming to dismantle not only the criminals themselves but also to bring down the entire chain that has been the cattle and livestock rustling industry,” he said.
He also announced a new policy shift, which institutionalizes the command structure of the NPR officers, stating they will hence be under the direct command of the Officer Commanding Police Stations (OCS) as part of efforts to enhance their operations.
The attacks have affected development at large. Most of the stolen animals are driven to urban centres and in particular where they are slaughtered and sold as products.
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