Six people have been confirmed dead following an armed attack on a
public transport vehicle in the Beer Awayon area along the route to Arabia
village in Lafey Constituency, Mandera County, on Saturday, May 9.
The victims were family members travelling from Mandera town to attend an
annual Quran recitation gathering when gunmen ambushed their vehicle and opened
fire.
Several other passengers sustained injuries in the attack, with local response
teams rushing to the scene as authorities launched investigations into the
incident.
Lafey Constituency Member of Parliament Mohamed Abdikheir confirmed the attack,
expressing deep sorrow over the loss of lives and calling for urgent action to
bring those responsible to justice.
Abdikheir also urged investigative agencies to apprehend and
prosecute those responsible.
“It is with profound sadness that I extend my deepest condolences to the
families, friends, and loved ones of the six innocent travellers on a mini-bus
who were brutally killed by unknown gunmen on the outskirts of Arabia. My
prayers to the injured, who are fighting for recovery amid this senseless
violence. I strongly condemn this barbaric act of cowardice, which has robbed
lives,” he said.
“Such atrocities have no place in our modern society. I urge the government to
launch a swift, thorough investigation, bring the perpetrators to justice and
enhance security measures to prevent future tragedies.”
Mandera County Police Commander Robinson Ndiwa confirmed that four people were injured.
The vehicle was reportedly ambushed a few kilometres from Arabia town in what is
suspected to have been a coordinated attack.
As of the time of publishing this story, no group had claimed responsibility for
the attack.
Crowds of concerned residents have since gathered at Arabia Sub-County Hospital,
where the injured are receiving treatment and medical attention.
This comes at a time when, nearly 1,000 kilometres away in Nairobi, police have
intensified patrols and heightened security ahead of the Africa-France Summit
set to run from Monday to Tuesday, with Kenya expected to host more than 30
Heads of State.
The government has also announced road closures around City Hall, Harambee
Avenue, and Parliament Road on Monday and Tuesday next week for the Africa
Forward Summit, with Nairobi traffic disruptions expected.