Eight people, including two police reservists and five construction workers, were killed on Tuesday when suspected al-Shabaab militants ambushed a convoy escorting road workers near Kenya’s border with Somalia, police and a senior regional official said.
A driver was also killed in the attack in Mandera county, where work is under way on the area’s first tarmac road.
The attack took place at around 07:00 (04:00 GMT) on Tuesday in Mandera county, according to a local police report.
Witnesses said gunmen opened fire on a security vehicle escorting engineers and other construction staff in Koromey, near Hagarsu, along the Arabia road.
Preliminary police reports cited by local media said five engineers and two National Police Reservists were among those killed. The vehicle’s driver later died from his injuries while being transported to Mandera County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Police deployed additional officers to pursue the attackers and investigate the ambush.
Regional official John Odhiambo Otieno said the gunmen were suspected of crossing into Kenya from neighbouring Somalia. Investigations are under way to establish their identities.
The engineers were inspecting a major infrastructure project when the ambush occurred, according to witnesses.
The project is set to bring the area's first tarmac roads since independence, with a five-kilometre stretch being upgraded to a bitumen surface.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) is overseeing work on the Fino-Lafey section of the Mandera-Lafey (B95) road.
The upgrade follows surveying and mapping work carried out by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), alongside efforts by local MP Mohamed Abdikheir to secure the project.
Residents have urged the government to tighten security and launch a swift investigation into the killings.
Al-Shabaab, which controls large parts of Somalia, has repeatedly launched cross-border attacks against Kenyan military personnel and civilians.
Security analysts say the militant group aims to pressure Kenya into withdrawing its troops from peacekeeping operations in Somalia.
Mandera county has faced persistent security threats, including cross-border raids and ambushes targeting security personnel, construction workers and transport routes.
Militants have also frequently targeted security patrols with improvised explosive devices, while cross-border tensions have fuelled protests and unrest among local communities and foreign nationals.
In response to the security challenges, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has ordered local chiefs to receive weapons and training. He has also called for the recruitment of additional police reservists and the deployment of multi-agency security teams across the county.
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