At least seven people were killed after gunmen raided villages for livestock in Meru County.
Police and locals said hundreds of livestock were stolen by the suspected bandits in the attacks.
Meru County Peace and Herders Chairman Charles Kamwibua told journalists two people were killed in Igembe region and the other five were killed in Ngaremara, Isiolo County, as herders tried to recover the stolen livestock.
There are fears the number of those killed may increase.
Over 400 livestock were stolen in Igembe, and more than 200 stolen in Tigania before another raid in the evening at Maili Saba, Buuri Constituency, officials said.
The attack left villagers grieving and wondering the next course of action.
Police responded to the scene but the gunmen had escaped with the animals.
Elsewhere, two other villagers were killed in Kuria, Migori County in a banditry attack. The attackers escaped with four goats.
The deaths of the two increased to six, the number of people killed in the area extending to Angata Barrikoi in the past week alone. Police said more people had been sent to the area to address the escalating chaos.
The latest incident happened in Kehancha where one Sampson Ngera, 52 was shot in the chest and left leg before being left for death.
Police said the motive was not known but they suspect he was targeted by cattle rustling gangs on the loose in the area.
His body was moved to the mortuary pending other procedures.
In Ntimaru area, of Gwitembe, one Zakayo Muniko Chacha, 68 was shot and killed in an attack.
The attackers who were armed with rifles and other crude weapons stole four goats.
Police who visited the scene said they recovered five spent cartridges. The deceased was shot in the groin, cut in the waist and back.
An arrow was found lodged on his stomach, police said. The raiders escaped towards Transmara area, witnesses said. The body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy and other procedures.
The area has been experiencing a rise in cases of cattle rustling in the past days. This has left at least six people dead and several acres of sugarcane plantation torched.
The Meru area is among those under Operation Maliza Uhalifu aimed at dealing with bandits. 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. The operation has also been extended to Migori where bandits are increasingly attacking and stealing animals.
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.
There is also an ongoing deradicalization process in the areas, which has borne fruits with some locals surrendering their weapons in Elgeyo Marakwet and Baringo Counties.
More than 600 assorted weapons have been surrendered in a two month exercise.
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.
“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.
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