Drama as camel is shot dead after security scare at KDF-guarded site in Mandera

A stray camel was shot dead following a security scare at a military-guarded construction site in Rhamu, Mandera North Sub-county.

A sentry personnel from the Kenya Defence Forces used a submachine gun to kill the camel that ‘ignored’ a stop order.

Police and military said the incident occurred on the night of April 3, 2026, at around 11:15 p.m. but was formally reported the following morning at 10:15 a.m. by the officer in charge of a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) platoon stationed at a Chinese construction site in Towfiq area.

Officials said a sentry manning a post within the camp detected suspicious, unannounced movement approximately 50 metres from the main entrance.

Due to poor visibility, the sentry issued a challenge using the designated password, but received no response.

Per standard security protocol, the officers fired warning shots using personal weapons. When the movement persisted, they escalated the response by discharging several bursts from an M240B machine gun.

After the area was cleared and secured, officers discovered that the “intruder” was in fact a stray camel, which had been fatally shot.

The animal’s carcass was found lying about 10 metres from the main gate, with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Police and the military visited the scene, processed and documented evidence. Authorities confirmed that the owner of the camel has not yet been identified.

No human casualties or further security threats were reported. Investigations remain ongoing, primarily to trace the animal’s owner.

The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border which is facing many challenges from al Shabaab terror group.
The terrorists cross the border and stage attacks on Kenyan security personnel.

Kenya has been staging operations to tame their activities.

Many believe some of these incidents happen out of help by locals and some insiders.
Somalia has not had an effective central government since the 1991 overthrow of President Siad Barre’s military regime, which ushered in more than two decades of anarchy and conflict in a country deeply divided along clan lines.
Kenya launched Operation Linda Nchi on October 14, 2011, after gunmen seized tourists at the Coast, which the Government saw as a threat to the country’s sovereignty, as it targeted the nation’s economic lifeline, which is tourism.