Twelve people have lost their lives in the last six weeks in Bura, Tana River County.
Mohamed Chora is an aggrieved man. The trauma of seeing his brother being gunned down is still fresh in his mind.
He was relaxing outside his tent on Friday after a mid-morning meal when he suddenly heard gunshots from afar.
It was an unexpected time for an attack, and as the shots approached, he sneaked away his family and took cover with a machete, just in case the angel of death was coming.
From his hiding place, he saw his brother, who had been caught unawares, struggling to escape.
"There was panic all over, no time for intelligent moves. I saw him take the wrong direction towards the gun-wielding men. I tried to call him back but it was too late," he narrated.
Chora watched as his brother took several bullets to the body, the assailant using the last bullet to confirm he was dead before continuing his pursuit for more blood.
It was then that Chora took off, running in a zigzag motion as the assailants rained bullets behind him, taking the lives of three others.
"I managed to escape. Those people were all covered up to their faces, armed with automatic rifles. They were particular about killing young, energetic men," he said.
The peasant farmer and others fled towards the main Garissa-Hola road, where they sought the help of other people to relay information to the police in Madogo that the village was under attack.
According to Chora, the gunmen were tactful, precise and deliberate, like trained personnel.
"What I saw is not the skill of a civilian, they moved like trained people, like mercenaries. I can estimate they were with us for about 15 minutes before retreating to the nearby village," he recounted.
Amina Ismail, whose cousin was killed almost two weeks ago, tells of a similar story of gun-wielding men who moved with military precision.
"They don't waste time, unlike how the clashes were in 2012. I witnessed that era, I was a young lady, people would stay for hours in a village if they came to attack, they would face each other in battle unlike the current ones, I think they are terrorists," she said.
She is not alone in believing that the attackers could be hired terrorists—many other families who have lost loved ones so far agree.
"I do not doubt that even the police know that these people are from a terror group, because if not, guns would already be in custody including the killers, but so far, nothing substantial has come up," said Ibrahim Sayeed, a resident.
Twelve people have lost their lives in the last six weeks, and families are waking up to bury their loved ones.
As the day breaks and dusk falls, families wait for answers from the security agencies about the deaths of their relatives, but there is no response.
All the families are told is to take heart, forgive and move on—statements that further provoke their agony and fuel a course of vengeance.
"It is despicable for someone to tell you to accept and move on, live past the pain, embrace peace, and yet someone is walking free with a gun and taking lives out there," said Asma Abdulahi, a resident.
According to Abdulahi, the security agencies are not doing enough, which is why the patience and confidence of the residents is dwindling by the day.
She blames the police for the second incident that claimed eight lives, noting that the first incident should have informed a robust raid in search of the guns.
"It has been two weeks since people were killed in Bura area. The same community threatened us on social media of more attacks, there is evidence of it, but all they do is sit and drink tea in closed-door meetings as we continue to get killed," she said.
At least eight burials took place in Tana River County over the weekend.
An atmosphere of fear, anger and suspense remains.
As security agencies intervene by taking cover in various hotspots in Tana North Sub-County, one question remains unanswered: the identity of the faceless killers.
Tana River County Commissioner David Koskei said security agencies were investigating the matter and promised results.
"We are following various trails, we must work with everyone to ensure that we catch the perpetrators of this heinous act, we will not leave any stone unturned," he said.
