Herder killed, five injured in Isiolo bandit attack

Isiolo herders

Animals grazing along the Isiolo-Moyale road.  A herder was on September 7, 2021 and five injured in a bandit attack in Hare Dida near the Isiolo-Samburu border.

Photo credit: Waweru Wairimu | Nation Media Group

One person has been killed and five injured in a bandit attack in Hare Dida near the Isiolo-Samburu border.

The six were grazing their animals at Kom grazing reserve on Tuesday evening when the bandits unleashed attacked them, killing one on the spot.

Isiolo County Police Commander Joseph Kigen said a contingent of security officers had been deployed in the area as a manhunt for the armed bandits, suspected to have come from Samburu, continues.

"We are hunting down the criminals who we suspect came from Samburu," said Mr Kigen, who is leading a security operation along the border.

Arm police reservists

Isiolo North MP Hassan Odha condemned the attack and asked the Ministry of Interior to arm the National Police Reservists (NPR) in insecurity prone areas such as Kom and Gotu.

"It has reached a point where we need to arm ourselves for self-defence since the aggressors are more equipped than the police officers deployed in the entire Merti Sub-County," Mr Odha said.

He asked the National Security Council to declare Kom a disturbed area and issue an ultimatum for the invading morans to leave.

The legislator condoled with the bereaved family and called for the deployment of officers from the Rapid Deployment Unit and the GSU to the affected area to ensure calm resumes.

"We are tired of being killed by bandits on our land," he said.

Insecurity along the border has worsened in the recent past following invasion by herders from Samburu and Laisamis area in Marsabit who have been forcefully grazing their hundreds of animals at the reserve without consent from the locals and elders and staging attacks on local herders.