15 boats, gun recovered as 22 fishermen still missing in Turkana

 Security teams in Turkana managed to recover 15 boats, a motorbike and a firearm stolen during a raid on a village by Ethiopian gunmen that left at least 20 fishermen dead.

The items were handed over to the Kenyan authorities by their Ethiopian counterparts after a meeting in the Lopemkat area, Ethiopia.

The firearm was confiscated from a member of the National Police Reserve during the raid on February 22 evening, police said.

A security team from Kenya visited Ethiopia's side and handed over body bags for collection of bodies in case they are found, officials said.

Six Desanach individuals were rescued by security forces and returned to the Ethiopian side.

Authorities from both countries also conducted a peace meeting in the Lotiira area on Sunday to restore normalcy following days of tension.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen visited the Todonyang area on Monday and appealed to the locals to be calm and patient as they solve the standoff.

This is after it emerged 22 people remain unaccounted for and are presumed dead.

“I know it is painful to remain here with more than 20 of your people remaining unaccounted for. We are doing all we can to solve this matter,” he said as he ordered more personnel to the River Omo to search for the missing persons.

Murkomen said all members of the NPR in the area will get new kits and double allowances to enhance their operations.

He said they also plan to open an official border point in the area as part of efforts to control those who come in and out.

Security operations have been mounted in the Kenya-Ethiopia border area to address any form of planned retaliation.

The victims were on a fishing expedition at the River Omo when they were attacked by gunmen on Saturday evening.

This was in retaliation to an earlier incident where three other people believed to be Ethiopians were killed in a similar attack also thought to be revenge.

This is after a  24-year-old herder was shot and killed in an attack by gunmen on Wednesday evening in Merikuka village in Kokuro Location near Loyoro Fishing Site at the Kenya-Ethiopia border, Turkana County.

The body of Kai Ebu was found with a gunshot wound to the head.

Ebu was grazing his calves in a grazing field along the bank of the Loyoro Rive when he was targeted and killed.

The motive of the attack is yet to be known.

Police and villagers said he was attacked by raiders from neighbouring Ethiopia who had been seen there earlier on.

The attackers escaped soon after the incident.

Multi-agency teams visited the scene and announced efforts to trace the attackers were ongoing.

The area has been facing different forms of insecurity from raiders.

The raiders who target livestock include those from neighbouring countries.

As part of efforts to tame the practice, the government launched an operation covering other counties including Turkana.