KeNHA Announces Manhunt For Al Shabaab Attackers After 4 Die

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has announced that police are looking for the suspected Al Shabaab attackers responsible for the death of four people on Wednesday, January 11 in Bura East, Garissa County.

The authority stated that it had reached out to Garissa County Commissioner, Boaz Cherutich, who confirmed the incident.

Cherutich who led the Security Committee members said that they had deployed a team of police officers to pursue the suspects and bring them to book.

“We want to appeal to the local people around that area to be calm as we pursue the criminals. The government will continue with the sustained operation to flush them out,” Cherutich said.

“We also want to assure the public that we will arrest them to face the law and bring calm back in the area,” he added.

Cherutich, however, noted that more details of the incident would be available when the families of the victims are notified.

"The KeNHA Board, Management, and Staff condole with the bereaved families and stands with them in prayer wishing them the Almighty's strength during this difficult period," KeNHA condoled.

KeNHA's engineers were among those killed in the attack, which occurred after the vehicle they were travelling in, a Toyota Hilux Double Cabin model, ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by suspects attached to the notorious terrorist group.

The deceased were said to have been on a routine assessment of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project. They were travelling from Garissa to Hailey Chinese Camp and then to Bura East.

Garissa which sits on the Kenya-Somalia border continues to face the threat of attacks from the Shabaab terror outfit due to the vast and porous border which has made it easier for terrorist elements to infiltrate the country and stage attacks.

On December 31, a Kenya Defence Forces soldier was killed while four others were injured in a suspected Al-Shabaab attack in Lamu County.

Two weeks ago, at least two people were shot and killed by suspected Al-Shabaab terrorists who had disguised themselves as Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers and erected an illegal roadblock in Witu area, Lamu County.

On January 5, the United States (US) Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), offered a reward of up to Ksh1.24 billion ($10 million) for information regarding the whereabouts of Al Shabaab suspects who attacked the Manda Bay Airfield in Lamu County, Kenya.

The daring attack which occurred on January 5, 2020, at pre-dawn saw the terrorists kill a US soldier and two US Department of Defense (DoD) contractors, as well as wounding two other US service members and a third DoD contractor.