Top police officers visited parts of Samburu and Isiolo counties days after gunmen killed two people including a policeman in separate attacks.
The officers led by Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police Douglas Kanja were on a fact finding mission and to boost the morale of those on the ground.
They first landed in Samburu on Wednesday morning and were expected to head to Isiolo. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki led a different team to West Pokot on Wednesday where gunmen have been engaging in shootings while targeting cattle.
He was also scheduled to visit Samburu and Isiolo Counties.
Kindiki had on December 26 spent time inspecting progress on establishment of new security facilities and shared a Boxing Day meal with officers serving in the frontline at Karanga Joto, at the border of Baringo North and Tiaty Sub-Counties in Baringo County.
He later distributed Christmas season celebrations food items for Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), Rapid Deployment Unit(RDU) camps in Ngaratuko, Kagir, and Loruk and for Loruk Police Station, Yatya Police Post and local National Police Reservists (NPRs).
This follows Christmas Day incident where a mission to recover stolen cows turned tragic when a police officer was shot and killed in a shootout with bandits in Acher’s area, Samburu County.
The incident happened as a team of police officers tried to recover a herd of cattle that had been stolen from Mutuati area, Meru County, police said.
Constable Victor Kosgey of General Service Unit died on the spot after being struck in the head with a high caliber bullet.
His colleagues said the bullet entered upper side of his eye and burst his rear skull killing him.
He was in the company of other GSU officers who had been sent to trace and recover about 100 cows that had been stolen earlier on from Mutuati.
During the clash, five police vehicles were hit and damaged by the bandits, police said.
Police said the bandits who struck as the team was driving off with some of the recovered animals engaged them in a shootout that lasted more than two hours.
A team of police together with reservists officers from Isiolo and Samburu Counties were following footprints of cows stolen from Mutuati of Meru county.
Police said at about 1 pm while at Ntilal area within Laresoro the footprints of the wanted cows got mixed with others in the area.
They did not realize this was a trick by the gunmen behind the attack.
On further search, the patrol teams managed to find 38 cows grazing with four of them having markings identical with the ones which had been stolen from Mutuati while others having faded fresh markings.
The team managed to recover and decided to drive all 38 cows to the station for sorting out.
And as the team was driving the cows back to Archer’s post police station and while at about three kilometers from the scene of recovery , they encountered an ambush where a shootout ensued.
This led to the death of the officer. The recovered cows escaped into the village as the officers retreated.
In Isiolo, a Pakistani national was shot and killed as he and a group of Islamic preachers were headed for a ritual session in Garbatula, Isiolo County.
A second Pakistani is nursing gunshot wounds in hospital after the shooting incident on Christmas Day, police said.
The deceased was identified as Muhammad Asghar, 48.
Police said the victims were in a group heading to annual Islamic congregation in Garbatulla for Ijitmai when gunmen believed to be bandits attacked their vehicle in Kachuru, Isiolo County.
Police said there were eight Pakistanis and two Kenyans in the car when they were attacked.
The attackers escaped the scene later as those on board scampered for safety.
There was nothing that was stolen from the victims, police said.
The body of the preacher was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy and burial, officials said.
The injured man was attended and discharged from Garbatula General Hospital.
The area is among that is under partial curfew due to persistent banditry attacks.
This is the latest such incident in the area amid an operation to address the menace.
An operation has been mounted in the area to get the attackers, police said.
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