BARINGO, Kenya – A supermarket worker was shot dead and his colleague wounded after gunmen ambushed their vehicle in Loruk, Baringo County, on Monday afternoon.
The victims were transporting goods from Nginyang towards Nakuru in a salon car when four armed men attacked them at around 3pm near Loruk Junction.
Police said the attackers opened fire, killing loader Henry Njuguna on the spot. The driver sustained a bullet wound to his thigh, while a third passenger escaped unharmed.
The gunmen made away with Sh52,000 in cash, packets of sugar, and two packs of tissue paper before fleeing.
Police officers responded to the scene but no arrests had been made by Monday night.
The injured driver was rushed to the hospital while Njuguna’s body was taken to the mortuary pending an autopsy.
The incident comes despite heightened security operations under Operation Maliza Uhalifu, a multi-agency crackdown targeting banditry and cattle rustling in Baringo, Turkana, West Pokot, Samburu, Marsabit, Meru and Isiolo counties.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen recently announced measures to strengthen the fight against banditry, including fresh vetting of all National Police Reservists (NPRs) and restructuring their command to fall directly under local police stations.
“We are coming to dismantle not only the criminals themselves but also the entire chain that has been the cattle and livestock rustling industry,” Murkomen said.
He added that the government was investing in long-term strategies such as subsidised farm inputs and extension services to revive agriculture in the region, aiming to provide communities with alternative livelihoods to crime.
Police have launched a manhunt for the attackers as investigations continue.
