KITUI, Kenya — At least seven people were killed on Saturday, April 25, in a suspected banditry attack at Kamari village in Tseikuru, Kitui County, in the latest incident highlighting escalating insecurity in parts of eastern Kenya.
According to police reports, armed assailants believed to be herders of Somali origin stormed the village and opened fire on residents who were working on a farm, killing six men and one woman on the spot. The attackers later fled towards Mwingi Game Reserve in a Toyota Probox.
Kitui County Commissioner Erastus Mbui confirmed the attack, saying one survivor sustained gunshot injuries and is currently receiving treatment at Tseikuru Level IV Hospital. Several homes were also torched during the raid, leaving multiple families displaced and without shelter.
Authorities believe the violence may be linked to retaliatory clashes between pastoralist groups and local communities. A police officer familiar with the investigation said the attack appeared to be a revenge mission following the killing of a herder in the nearby game reserve.
“It is retaliation after a herder from one community killed a herder from another in the game park. This appears to be a counterattack,” the officer said.
In the aftermath, residents fled into nearby bushland, fearing further attacks, underscoring the persistent insecurity that has plagued parts of Kitui and neighbouring counties.
The incident adds to a growing list of banditry-related killings that have spread beyond traditional hotspots in the North Rift to upper Eastern Kenya.
The government has, in recent months, intensified operations to curb banditry, deploying multi-agency security teams and advanced equipment in affected regions. Counties including Meru, Isiolo, Samburu, and Turkana have experienced repeated attacks involving livestock theft and deadly ambushes.
Speaking after a separate attack in Meru, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said the state would escalate its response, including the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces alongside police units to restore order.
“The government of Kenya will use all instruments of war—our military, police officers, tanks, and aircraft—to confront the bandits,” Kindiki said, adding that security forces had been directed to prioritise anti-banditry operations over other assignments.
