Police said the attack occurred at Beer-Awayon Village after a 14-seater matatu left Mandera town en route to Arabia town.
According to officials, gunmen intercepted the vehicle and opened fire indiscriminately, killing at least six passengers on the spot and leaving several others with serious injuries. The attackers also used explosives during the assault. All the victims were locals.
Emergency responders rushed the injured to Mandera Referral Hospital for treatment as security agencies launched operations to pursue the attackers.
Authorities had not immediately released the identities of those killed or confirmed the exact number of injured at the time of reporting.
Although no group had claimed responsibility, security officials suspect the attack was carried out by al Shabaab militants, who frequently stage cross-border attacks in the region.
The area lies near the porous Kenya-Somalia border, which has for years experienced repeated incursions by suspected militants targeting civilians, security personnel and infrastructure.
The latest incident came just days after another security scare in Mandera county involving a suspected improvised explosive device.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Khalif condemned the attack, calling on security agencies to bring those responsible to justice.
“As the county leadership, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to pursuing justice. We will work tirelessly to ensure that those responsible for this inhumane act are held fully accountable,” he said.
Police also confirmed a separate incident on Thursday, when an explosive device detonated on the Elwak-Eresuki road, near a borrow pit where murram is being extracted for the Horn of Africa Gateway Project.
A joint team of the Kenya Defence Forces and the National Police Service established that a directional IED had exploded along the roadside, believed to have been intended for security patrols guarding the project.
No injuries or fatalities were reported in that incident.
Security operations have since been intensified in the region as authorities pursue those behind the attacks.
The government has also stepped up surveillance and deployed additional personnel on the Kenya-Somalia border in efforts to counter persistent militant threats that continue to disrupt safety and development in the area.
