Five engineers are among eight people killed after gunmen ambushed a security vehicle escorting a road construction team in Mandera County.
The attack happened on Tuesday morning, November 10, at Koromey, near Hagarsu along Arabia Road, where the engineers and other construction workers were travelling under police protection.
Preliminary police reports indicate that two Kenya Police Reservists (KPRs) attached to the security team were also killed when the attackers opened fire on their vehicle.
The driver of the security vehicle sustained critical gunshot injuries and was rushed to Mandera County Teaching and Referral Hospital. He, however, succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the facility, bringing the death toll to eight.
The victims were working on the Mandera-Arabia-Lafey Road project, a major infrastructure undertaking aimed at improving transport and connectivity in the region.
A police officer confirmed the incident, saying additional security personnel had been deployed to the area to pursue the attackers.
The circumstances surrounding the ambush remain under investigation, with the identities of those responsible yet to be established officially.
Fresh Security Concerns in Northeastern Kenya
The attack comes amid heightened security concerns in northeastern Kenya following a series of incidents targeting security installations near the Kenya-Somalia border.
On Saturday, November 7, suspected militants attacked Hulugho Police Station and the Gesreb Special Operations Group (SOG) Camp in Garissa County.
Police reports indicated that the attackers fired at the two security installations using assault rifles and a machine gun.
Security officers responded to the attacks and repulsed the assailants, with no casualties reported.
In a separate incident, security personnel at the Damasa Forward Operating Base in Mandera also repulsed an attempted attack by six suspected militants who had approached the camp.
The latest attack has raised fresh concerns over the safety of construction workers and security personnel operating along major infrastructure projects in the region.
