There was fear and confusion as two passenger service vehicles ( PSV ) were sprayed with bullets on Thursday March 17, 2022 by unknown gunmen.
The PSVs were transporting passengers on the Kitale Lodwar Highway when the incident happened.
Reports indicate that the vehicles were ambushed by armed bandits as they passed through the stretch between the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) camp and Kainuk Centre.
First responders ferried three passengers who sustained gunshot wounds to the Kainuk Health Centre where they are receiving treatment.
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A driver to one of the PSV vehicles said he was flagged down by three men but defied their order and sped off, and the bandits sprayed his matatu with bullets.
“He accelerated prompting the bandits to shoot twice at the front side of the vehicle. During the incident, the driver and one passenger who occupied the front seat suffered gunshot wounds,” a police report read in part.
The driver drove to Kainuk Health Centre where the injured passengers received medical attention. Among the injured passengers was a Spanish national who was in critical condition.
Notably, the driver was shot on his right thigh but was discharged from the medical facility. Motorists plying the route were asked to exercise extra caution while using the road.
The incident marks the second in as many months that passenger vehicles have been sprayed with bullets. In December 2021, a PSV plying the Isiolo-Moyale Isiolo highway was attacked by bandits.
Two occupants of the vehicle were injured when the more than 20 bandits emerged from bushes along the road and opened fire at the car, injuring the driver and one passenger.
Notably, government vehicles have also suffered attacks by unknown gunmen. On January 27, a vehicle ferrying a judge, police officers and court employees was sprayed with bullets in Lamu County.
According to the Coast Regional Commissioner, John Elungata, the attack was suspected to have been carried out by suspected Al Shabaab militants. Luckily, none of the vehicle occupants was seriously injured.
“All the occupants in the Judiciary vehicle are safe. Security teams responded immediately and repulsed (the attackers),” Elungata stated.
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