Suspected cattle rustlers on Wednesday shot dead a police officer attached to the rapid deployment unit (RDU) at Qubi-Qallo area in Saku Constituency of |Marsabit County.
Another senior officer of the rank of chief inspector from the General Service Unit (GSU) was critically injured after he was shot on the right side of the chest following a fierce fire exchange between security officers and the bandits.
Marsabit County Commissioner (CC) Paul Rotich told KNA that a six-year-old boy sustained serious gunshot wounds after he was shot on the head by raiders in a separate incident in Kargi area, Loiyangalani sub-county.
Mr Rotich said the officers were among a contingent of security officers that was pursuing cattle rustlers who stole livestock from the neighbouring Laisamis constituency three days ago.
The county commissioner said the officers managed to recover 51 heads of cattle and one donkey adding that the operation to flush out the bandits and recover the remaining animals and the illegal firearms has been intensified.
He added that the unknown number of armed bandits ambushed the security officers in a bushy area and added they are believed to have suffered fatalities but the number was yet to be known.
The CC who is also the chairman of the County Security and Intelligence Committee warned that the government would firmly deal with anybody engaging in the outlawed practice of cattle rustling and asked parents to guide their sons on best methods of earning a living.
Mr Rotich said the injured officer who was rushed to Marsabit county referral hospital was later airlifted to Nairobi for specialised treatment.
“The medics say the officer is out of danger and was responding well to treatment,” said the CC.
The body of the slain officer who was shot on the forehead was removed to the Marsabit county referral hospital mortuary.
In the second incident, the herds’ boy was injured early Wednesday morning in Kargi area by armed rustlers who made away with an unknown number of livestock.
The boy who was taken to Marsabit County referral hospital has since been airlifted to Nairobi together with the injured officer.
He added that the suspects are said to have been heavily armed with illegal firearms but that security officers who were immediately deployed to the area were pursuing the raiders.
Meanwhile, the Saku MP Dido Rasso has condemned the attacks that led to the death of one police officer and left another critically injured.
Mr Rasso who commended the police for exemplary performance in the recently concluded Operation Rejesha Amani in Marsabit asked local communities to shun the retrogressive practice of cattle rustling.
The MP asked the youth to embrace better ways of earning a living and creating wealth by seeking government credit like Uwezo and youth enterprise fund instead of engaging in crime.
He sent condolences to the family of the officer who was killed and wished the injured speedy recovery.
