Cattle thieves shoot dead four people in Isiolo County

Four more people, two of them Kenya Police Reservists (KPR), have been killed and two others wounded by raiders in Gotu location, Isiolo County.

The assailants also stole four Government G3 rifles from the reservists.

A herdsman identified only as Abkula was gunned down on Monday at around 11am in Gotu by raiders from the neighbouring Samburu East District and about 300 head of cattle stolen.

Thereafter, villagers sought help from the local KPR and game scouts from Nakurpat and Gotu Community Wildlife Conservancy to pursue the attackers.

"The vehicles from the conservancy spotted the attackers near Chafa Gate Spring and a gun battle between the bandits and KPR ensued," said the organisation's manager Hassan Godana yesterday.

Chafa Gate is the farthest entry point from the northern side of Shaba National Reserve. The community-managed wildlife conservancy under the Northern Rangeland Trust also borders the County government-managed game park.

The homeguards engaged the raiders, estimated at about 100, in a battle that lasted until about 4pm Tuesday.

stolen animals

"The two homeguards and the game scout were killed while trying to recover the animals from the cattle rustlers. Their colleagues retreated after running out of bullets," said Guyo Wako, a village elder from Gotu.

KPR, however, managed to recover most of the stolen animals. Mr Godana identified the game scout killed as Abdiaziz Ali.

The injured are undergoing treatment at Isiolo Level Four Hospital.

The incident comes nine days after 10 herders were shot dead and four others seriously wounded at Leruko within the Buffalo Springs National Reserve in a confrontation with their rivals from the Samburu side.

Yesterday, during an emotional burial ceremony at Masjid Taqwa Muslim Cemetery, local leaders led by Governor Godana Doyo and Isiolo North MP Joseph Samal called on the national government to disarm bandits from the neighbouring Samburu County.

"We are not going to condone this, we are giving these bandits an ultimatum to either stop this evil activities or face full force of the law," said Doyo.

The governor asked the Government to immediately withdraw thousands of Kenya Police Reservist firearms in the hands of Samburu morans, which he said, are used to cause terror in the region.

Samal accused the national government of failing to conduct an operation to flush out Samburu bandits out of Isiolo County.