Deadly ambush targets road workers in Kenya

KENYA: Eight people have been killed after gunmen ambushed a vehicle escorting road construction workers in northeastern Kenya near the Somali border, according to local officials. Police suspect the attackers were members of the Al-Shabaab militant group.

The attack took place at around 7 AM on Tuesday in the Hagarsu area of Mandera County, where a road is being built, according to the local authorities. The victims included five construction workers, two police reservists, and a driver, Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif confirmed.

Seven people died at the scene, while the driver later succumbed to his injuries, according to Kenya’s Standard newspaper. The attackers opened fire on the security vehicle along the Mandera-Arabia-Lafey Road, the outlet reported.

The gunmen are believed to have crossed into Kenya from neighboring Somalia, regional official John Odhiambo Otieno told Reuters. He added that investigations are underway to identify those responsible.

Mandera County Police Commander Robinson Ndiwa said a joint security team has been deployed to pursue the attackers. Their identities and motives have not been established, although police suspect Al-Shabaab involvement, according to the Kenya News Agency.

Governor Khalif condemned the attack and called for an urgent investigation. “The people of Mandera deserve peace and security, and an environment where development initiatives can proceed without fear or intimidation,” he said in a statement on X.

The incident is not the first attack in Mandera County, which borders Somalia. In July, five Kenyan security officers were killed when their patrol vehicle struck a roadside bomb allegedly planted by Al-Shabaab militants near the frontier. In January, suspected militants killed Senior Chief Abdi Gani Owl and primary school teacher Stephen Musili in neighboring Garissa County.

Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent groups, particularly Al-Shabaab, have been carrying out regular attacks in several African countries since 2007. The terrorist group continues to conduct raids, bombings, and targeted assassinations in an effort to destabilize the Somali government and regional security structures, and also establish its own rule based on a hard-line interpretation of Sharia law.