Mandera East Deputy County Commissioner's car hijacked, driver killed

Suspects carjack Mandera East Deputy County Commissioner's vehicle, kills the driver. [File, Standard]

On Saturday, August 10, unknown gunmen carjacked a government Land Cruiser belonging to Deputy County Commissioner for Mandera East, Patrick Meso.

According to County Commissioner Henry Ochako, the attackers ambushed Meso at Kamor in Mandera town, killing the driver before fleeing with the vehicle. Meso's whereabouts remain unknown.

"I have reports that the Land Cruiser of Deputy County Commissioner Patrick Meso is missing and the driver was killed during the 3 pm incident in Kamor," Ochako said over the phone.

Eyewitnesses report that the attackers fled with the vehicle toward the Somalia border, leaving the body of the deceased at the scene.

This incident comes in the wake of several attacks suspected to be by Al-Shabaab militants.

On July 24, five people were injured in an explosion at an eatery in Mandera town. On July 11, an ambush by suspected Al-Shabaab militants resulted in the deaths of five Special Operations Group (SOG) members and left six others injured near the Banisa/Derkale border in Mandera West.

Earlier, on April 5, six people were killed and five injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near the police station in Elwak town, Mandera County. Another similar incident occurred on March 25, where four people were killed in an explosion at a hotel near a police station in Mandera town.

Police are currently conducting operations in response to the incident. The deceased has been taken to Mandera Referral Hospital Mortuary.