Two police officers, including the Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) of Hagadera were killed after a Land Cruiser attached to Hagadera Police Station ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) along the Saretho–Dadaab Main Supply Route in Garissa County.
The incident occurred at around 6am on Friday, October 9, according police.
The vehicle was travelling along the route when it struck the suspected explosive device, killing the senior officer and the driver.
The blast badly damaged the Land Cruiser.
Witnesses said a response team arrived at the scene but did not find the people responsible for planting the explosive.
Preliminary assessments point to suspected al-Shabaab militants or their local sympathisers as possible perpetrators.
It was also unclear whether the attackers had prior knowledge of the vehicle’s movements or planted the device in anticipation of a security patrol.
Such attacks are common in the area.
Investigations were ongoing, with security operations intensified in the area as officers pursued those responsible.
The attack highlights the continuing threat posed by roadside explosives along security routes in northeastern Kenya, where militants linked to Al-Shabaab have repeatedly targeted security personnel and government officials.
The incident comes months after six Kenyan security officers were killed in an IED attack followed by a gunfight in Mandera County.
On July 28, five officers from the elite Special Operations Group (SOG) and a National Police Reservist (NPR) died when their vehicle struck an explosive device in the El-Raamo area of Kutulo, along the Alungu Main Supply Route near the Kenya-Somalia border.
According to security sources, the explosive had allegedly been planted on July 21, with suspected militants waiting to ambush the patrol.
The blast was followed by an exchange of gunfire between the officers and the attackers, leaving all six security personnel dead.
The incident underscored the persistent threat posed by Al-Shabaab militants operating across the Kenya-Somalia border despite sustained counterterrorism operations.
Kenya has deployed additional security personnel and surveillance technology in northeastern counties to counter militant incursions, protect communities and secure critical supply routes.
The attacks have disrupted movement, threatened livelihoods and complicated the delivery of public services in areas close to the border.
Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group based in Somalia and affiliated with al-Qaeda, has carried out attacks in Kenya in retaliation for the country’s military involvement in Somalia and its support for efforts to combat the group.
Kenya launched Operation Linda Nchi on October 14, 2011, sending troops into Somalia following a series of kidnappings of foreigners in Kenya, including tourists along the coast. The operation marked a major escalation in Kenya’s military campaign against the militant group.
Somalia has faced decades of conflict and political instability since the collapse of President Siad Barre’s government in 1991. Although successive administrations have rebuilt state institutions and security forces, Al-Shabaab continues to control or contest territory and stage attacks.
Kenyan security agencies have continued operations along the border to prevent militant infiltration and reduce attacks targeting security officers and civilians.
The latest incident in Garissa is expected to renew scrutiny of the security of roads used by police and other government personnel in the region.
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