Locals protest after herder is shot to death in Isiolo

A herder was shot and killed in a banditry attack in Akadeli area, Isiolo Township.

This happened during a failed robbery of 200 shoats, police said.

The killing prompted a protest on Sunday with locals demanding action to address the menace.

The shoats were recovered by police who responded to the scene which happened on Saturday, January 31, 202,6 evening.

Police and locals said gunmen raided the village and killed the teenage herder before attempting to drive off the targeted shoats.

Security teams in the area responded and engaged the gunmen in gunfire before they abandoned the animals and escaped.

The animals were handed over to the owner as the body of the 16-year-old herder was moved to the mortuary pending other procedures.

On Sunday February 1, a section of locals staged a protest demanding more action to tame the trend of banditry.

They said the attacks have been persistent in the area, leaving many dead and injured and stolen animals.

Police said they had intensified operations to address the menace.

The area is among those under Operation Maliza Uhalifu aimed at dealing with bandits.

The operation has managed to contain crime in the area and other counties amid persistence.

The operation targets Baringo, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu, Marsabit, Meru and Isiolo counties.

Besides retributive reaction, strategic investment and sustainable development have also taken a prominent place among the government’s planned crime control interventions for Kenya’s Northern frontier and the Kerio Valley belt.

Elsewhere in Kihara, Kiambu County, one Geoffrey Oganje, 55, died in his house after he had been assaulted by people known to him.

He was assaulted on January 29 in the area and sought medical attention at a local clinic, police said. He later went home to recover. He died in his house. His body was found in his house with visible injuries on the head. Police moved the body to the mortuary pending an autopsy and investigations.

No arrests had been made by Sunday morning amid a hunt for the said assailants.

In Kinangop, Nyandarua County, the body of a woman who was earlier reported missing was found in a shallow grave.

The body was identified as that of Nancy Nderitu, 48. She had been reported missing on January 22.

Her body was found buried in a shallow grave in her compound after a suspected murder. It had decomposed when it was discovered on January 31, 2026, police said.

The body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy and investigations.

Such murder incidents have been on the rise in the area, with most of them linked to love triangles, money, deals and land disputes. Police say the incidents are under investigation.