At least six people were Monday morning killed following an attack by al-Shabaab militants in the Widhu Majembeni area in Lamu County.
Police said the suspected militants also torched several houses in the attack before escaping.
One of the victims was shot dead, another was hacked to death while the other four were burnt to death in their house, police and survivors said.
Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia confirmed the incident saying an operation to get the attackers was ongoing.
The attack was anticipated by security agencies who said the gang had been sighted in the larger Boni forest and was on the move.
Tension remained high in the area amid fears of more attacks as security operations were mounted.
Police who visited the scene said preliminary findings had shown the attack was perpetrated by locals fighting over land issues.
The planners, according to police, wanted to stop the continued encroachment of their farms by farmers as other people who are mostly considered as nonlocals.
“The attack was done in a way to appear as a terror attack carried out by al-Shabaab but from the information received from the ground, this is was not the case,” said an officer on the ground.
The official added the attack was purely a criminal activity carried out by hired men and organized by the management of some farms there.
He cited the torching of an old vehicle and small structure within a farm there where there were security rangers with other vehicles guarding the facilities and they were not affected by the attackers.
According to police, those hacked to death or targeted were all well known for aggressively agitating for the land rights of the farmers and other deserving causes.
Police had earlier been notified of the kidnapping of a local on Sunday, as well as the night attack at around 11 pm till dawn but did not respond.
Witnesses said the attackers used a past modus operandi to spread fears among locals.
It came two days after a bodaboda rider was on New Year killed after his motorcycle ran over a bomb that was set on the road in Kiunga, Lamu County.
Officials who attended the scene said the Improvised Explosive Device had been set by al-Shabaab militants sighted in the area.
The rider was ferrying khat to the near Kenya-Somalia border when his motorcycle was hit. He died on the spot, police said.
Bomb experts said the explosive used in the attack was made using a different technology.
“They used a bomb that explodes on the pressure as opposed to the usual one of using wires and timers. This is a concern for all,” said an expert aware of the incident.
The attack prompted an operation in the area with several multi-agency teams being deployed.
In Liboi area, along the main border, the teams stumbled on a fresh site that had been abandoned by escaping militants.
The site had foodstuffs and uniforms indicating the gang of about 50 had been there for a while.
There are fears they are planning an attack on security agencies and civilians.
This has prompted operations spanning from Mandera, Wajir, Lamu and parts of Kilifi Counties.
Inspector-General of Police Hilary Mutyambai said they need public support even as the operation goes on.
“We urge the public to report any suspicious activities in their areas,” he said.
The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border which has been under attack by terrorists in the past.
Boni Forest is an operation zone as the national government has since 2015 conducted a multi-agency security exercise dubbed Linda Boni, which is aimed at flushing out al-Shabaab militants believed to be hiding there.
Kenya began the construction of the 700-kilometre long wall in 2015 to stop the militants from crossing into and out of Kenya.
The wall, which is known as the Kenya-Somalia border securitisation project is among others meant to secure the country from attacks by the Somalia-based al Shabaab terrorists.
The project plan includes having designated immigration and custom entry points with a two-foot-tall concrete wall fitted with CCTV cameras.
Trenches are also being constructed in the area.
The plan includes the creation of at least 22 border posts on the border with well-equipped personnel to respond to any form of aggression.
Officials say once complete, the teams will be spread 40 kilometres apart to enable quick response to attacks from militants.
The fence especially in Mandera and Lamu has helped reduce incidents of attacks by the militants who often crossed at will.
Research by government security agencies says 30 per cent of the country’s security problems are traced to the porous Somalia border often penetrated by terrorists.
Edited by D Tarus
