At least six people were killed and 10 others injured after suspected al Shabaab militants ambushed a passenger vehicle in Mandera East Constituency on Saturday morning.
Police said the attack occurred at Beer-Awayon village after the 14-seater matatu left Mandera town headed for Arabia town.
According to officials, gunmen intercepted the vehicle and opened fire indiscriminately, killing at least six passengers on the spot and leaving others with serious injuries.
Emergency responders rushed the wounded victims to Mandera Referral Hospital for treatment as security agencies launched operations to pursue the attackers.
Authorities had not immediately released the identities of those killed or provided the exact number of those injured by Saturday afternoon.
Although no group had officially claimed responsibility, security officials believe the assault was carried out by al Shabaab militants who frequently stage cross-border attacks in the region.
The area lies near the porous Kenya-Somalia border, which has for years experienced repeated incursions by suspected militants targeting civilians, security personnel and public infrastructure.
The latest attack came days after another security incident in Mandera County involving a suspected improvised explosive device (IED).
Police said the explosive detonated along the Elwak–Eresuki road on Thursday morning in what investigators suspect was an attempted attack on security personnel guarding a government infrastructure project.
The incident happened near a borrow pit where marram is being extracted for the Horn of Africa Gateway Project.
A joint team of officers from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the National Police Service (NPS) visited the scene and established that a directional IED had exploded along the roadside.
Preliminary investigations indicate the device was likely intended to target security patrols assigned to protect the strategic project.
No injuries or fatalities were reported in the explosion.
Security operations have since been intensified in the area as investigators pursue those behind the attempted attack.
Authorities say Kenya continues to enhance surveillance, deploy additional security personnel and invest in technology along the Kenya-Somalia border to counter persistent militant threats that have disrupted development and normal activities in the region.
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