Two people were shot dead, and six others, including a police officer, sustained gunshot wounds after unknown gunmen ambushed a bus carrying 60 passengers at Mbukoi along the Maralal-Baragoi road on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses described the attack as horrific, with passengers scrambling for cover as gunfire erupted.
Samburu County Police Commander Thomas Ototo confirmed that the bus was under police escort when heavily armed attackers opened fire before fleeing into the nearby bushes.
Police and emergency responders arrived shortly after the attack, rushing the injured to Samburu County Referral Hospital in Maralal. The bodies of the two deceased victims were also taken to the hospital’s mortuary.
The Maralal-Baragoi road has long been plagued by banditry and cattle rustling, with frequent ambushes targeting both travellers and security forces. Authorities have since launched a manhunt for the assailants.
Residents have criticised the government for failing to contain the escalating violence, noting that the attackers brazenly sprayed bullets at the bus despite its police escort.
Meanwhile, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen linked the recent deadly attack in Todonyang to a retaliatory strike by Daasanach militants. He stated that the violence was triggered by an incident in which a Kenyan assailant crossed into Ethiopia and killed three Ethiopians.
