A 23-year-old man was shot dead in an attack at a home in Maralal, Samburu County.
This happened in Ngano village, Poro location on Thursday dawn when gunmen raided a home and attempted to steal cows.
The victim identified as Leonard Lendunda had stepped out of their house after hearing commotion from outside when he was shot.
Police said he was shot in the left side of his chest and died on the spot.
The gang then drove off five cows from the compound as an alarm was raised.
Local members of the National Police Reserve heard the gunshots and responded immediately in pursuit of the gang.
Police said the gang drove the animals towards the Opiroi area where the NPR team ambushed them prompting a shootout.
This forced the bandits to escape leaving behind all the stolen animals, which were handed back to the owner.
Police visited the scene, picked up the body of the man and took it to the local mortuary pending autopsy and other procedures.
Police said they are investigating murder in the incident and hope to get the gang behind the attack.
Incidents of banditry have significantly dropped due to measures taken by the government.
In 2023, a total of 1,702 reservists were recruited and trained in Baringo, Samburu, Laikipia, Meru, Turkana, and West Pokot.
At least 400 reservists in Elgeyo Marakwet and Isiolo were re-armed to supplement the ongoing security operations in the area.
To enhance governance and improve service delivery, the Government gazetted 126 new administrative units across Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Turkana, Samburu, Meru, and Laikipia Counties.
This initiative is aimed at strengthening local administration, improving resource allocation, and enabling a more effective response to security challenges.
At least 172 illegal firearms were last year recovered in ongoing Operation Maliza Uhalifu North Rift.
The operation has also seen a significant drop in cattle rustling cases, the Ministry of Interior said.
“The operation has led to a 62% reduction in the number of cattle rustling occurrences, with cases dropping from 63,054 stolen livestock to 23,668—a decline of 39,386 heads of cattle.”
“Notably, 172 illegal firearms were collected during mop-up exercises and 10,173 livestock have been recovered,” a statement from the ministry said.
During the same period, 250 suspects, including 14 political leaders, were arrested and prosecuted.
Launched in February 2023, Operation Maliza Uhalifu North Rift is a government security initiative that targeted escalating banditry, cattle rustling, and violence in nine counties including Baringo, Turkana, Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Marsabit, Laikipia, Isiolo, and Meru.
Hot spot areas in these counties were designated as “Disturbed” and “Dangerous,” in the operation that brought together the National Police Service (NPS) and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in a coordinated effort to restore peace and stability in the region.
