The incident happened on the evening of January 19, 2026 evening after a group of armed forest rangers from Lurambi Forest intercepted a tractor carrying an unknown amount of sand, police said.
The rangers argued there was illegal sand harvesting in the Ondolo area along River Isikhu. According to the police, when they stopped the tractor, the crew raised an alarm, alerting a mob who started to pelt stones and wigs at the rangers.
This prompted the rangers to open fire and fatally wounded Godfrey Muyonga, 52, and Benedict Isiakali, 34.
A third man was shot and seriously wounded in the leg, Western Region Police Commander Issa Mohamud said.
He added the police had launched investigations into the drama.
The mob attacked and chased the rangers from the scene and set on fire their motorcycle in the drama.
The police said the rangers escaped the scene and were yet to be traced on Tuesday. One was rescued and rushed to the hospital with an injury in the leg, police said.
Police arrived at the scene past midnight and moved the bodies to the mortuary pending an autopsy and other procedures.
Police said they are investigating the incident even as tension remained high in the area.
Officials have banned sand harvesting in the area as part of the preservation of the environment.
A security team visited the area on Tuesday as part of efforts to contain the rising tensions.
The police commander said they were holding meetings in the area even as they investigate the tragedy.
“We urge all concerned parties to be calm as experts carry out investigations into this incident,” he said.
They said sand harvesting remains banned in the area. The locals demanded justice for the killing of the harvesters.
Meanwhile, a 45-year-old man was killed by a speeding train in the Shimanzi area, Mombasa. The police identified him as Joab Bukachi.
His body was found on the railway line after the accident on Monday, police said.
The body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy and other investigations over the accident involving the man who was a security guard at the scene.
And a man was stoned to death after he had slashed a villager in an argument over missing cows in Kehancha, Migori County.
The two men had argued over a missing cow when one of them accused the other of claiming he was a thief. He then slashed the colleague, injuring him in the stomach. A mob responded and stoned the assailant, killing him.
The injured was taken to the hospital, while the body was moved to the mortuary.
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