Turkana people leave homes carrying possessions as forces gather in province where bandits killed at least 32 officers

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Hundreds of people fearing a government backlash over the killing of at least 32 police officers are fleeing their homes in north-western Kenya as the military prepares to help police pursue the bandits who carried out the attack, officials have said.

Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said a "serious" operation has begun to find those responsible for the deaths of the officers over the weekend.

"We cannot allow such things to happen. I think they were testing the waters and in due cause they will know the depth of the river," he said.

The national security council, chaired by President Mwai Kibaki, said the military would provide support to the police in apprehending the bandits and recovering stolen animals and arms in Samburu county.

Residents in Baragoi, the main town in Samburu North district, said there had been a big build-up of police officers in the town.

The police were killed over the weekend after being ambushed by bandits from the Turkana tribe, who are suspected of having stolen cattle from the Samburu tribe.

Samuel Letipila, a council representative in the affected area, said the bodies of 34 police officers and reserves had been recovered. Iteere put the confirmed death toll at 32 with several officers missing.

Letipila said he lost 112 cattle in mid-October when Turkana raiders stole more than 500 of them. Twelve Samburu warriors were killed on 30 October when they attempted to recover their animals from the Turkana. Those killings led to last weekend's police operation, he said.

Francis Karimi, a local government official in Baragoi, said nearly 1,500 members of the Turkana community had fled from Lemerok village fearing the approaching government operation. Karimi said residents had been seen leaving in buses with their mattresses and boxes of household goods. "They are afraid," Karimi said.