Five Mandera attack victims airlifted to counties for burial

Five of the eight people killed in Tuesday's deadly ambush in Mandera County have been airlifted to their home counties for burial, while three others were buried in Mandera on Tuesday evening according to Islamic rites.

The victims were ambushed at around 7:00 am on November 10, at Koromey, near Hagarsu, along the Mandera-Arabia-Lafey Road, when heavily armed assailants opened fire on a security vehicle escorting engineers and other construction staff to the road project.

The attack has drawn sharp condemnation from the Seventh Community. The community chairperson, Phelix Oluoch mourned the loss of the five victims in an address to the residents and leaders.

"Eight innocent construction workers were shot dead in cold blood while they were travelling to go and work on the road. They were not soldiers. They were not criminals. They were workers. They woke up in the morning to go and build a road for all of us, a road that our children will use, that our mothers will use, that this county will use. And they never reached their workplace. They were ambushed and murdered," Oluoch said.

He said five victims belonged to the Seventh Community, and assured the families of support.

"To the bereaved families, I say this: We are with you. Your pain is our pain. Your sons did not die in vain. The Seventh Community stands with you in this hour of grief," he said.

Oluoch condemned the killings, questioning who could benefit from murdering poor workers who were only trying to fend for their families.

"Who kills a worker going to build a road? Who benefits from killing poor men who are just trying to feed their families? This is not resistance. This is not religion. This is not justice. This is pure murder. This is cowardice. This is an attack on all of us, and an attack on the future of Mandera," Oluoch said.

The chairperson also criticised the government, saying it was a shame that the attack happened at the same spot where three similar incidents had already occurred.

"Three times before, our people were killed at that same place. Three times we cried. Three times we were promised action. Three times we were told 'we are investigating.' And now, a fourth time, 8 more innocent lives are gone," he said.

"How many more must die at the same spot before action is taken? How many mothers must bury their sons at the same spot before the government wakes up? We are not asking for favours. We are asking for our constitutional right: The right to life. The right to security."

Oluoch demanded immediate and thorough investigations, the arrest of the culprits, and a permanent security presence on the road, saying the community did not want press statements but results.

"We demand immediate, thorough investigations. Find the culprits. Arrest them. Let them face the full force of the law. We do not want press statements. We want results. Secure that road. Patrol that spot. Put a permanent security presence there. No more excuses," he said.

He urged the county government leaders not to stay silent but to visit the families and support them with burial arrangements and widows and children left behind.

Oluoch called on the national government to assure Mandera residents of security saying that the area cannot continue to witness senseless deaths with no accountability.

"Mandera is part of Kenya. Our lives matter as much as any other Kenyan's life. We cannot continue to be a county where workers are killed and nobody is held accountable," he said.

He declared that insecurity incidents would not divide the communities of Mandera nor stop development.

"To the criminals who did this: We say to you, you will not divide us. The Seventh Community, and all communities in Mandera, will continue to live together in peace. You will not stop development. You will not stop us from building our roads, our schools, and our future," he said.

He also urged residents to remain calm, and coexist peacefully with their neighbours, and demand justice through the law.

"To our people: I urge calm. Do not take revenge. Do not turn against your neighbours. Let us mourn together, bury our dead with dignity, and demand justice through the law. We are a peaceful community, and we will remain peaceful, but we will not be silent," he said.

"Eight workers went to work yesterday. Eight families are crying today. We will not forget them. We will not let their deaths be just another statistic. We demand justice, and we demand it NOW," he added.

The victims were working on a major infrastructure project overseen by the Kenya National Highways Authority on the Fino-Lafey section of the Mandera-Lafey (B95) road, a project set to deliver the area's first tarmac roads since independence, with a five-kilometre stretch being upgraded to bitumen standard.

Mandera County Police Commander Robinson Ndiwa said additional security personnel had been deployed to pursue the attackers and secure the area.

Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif condemned the killings.

No group had formally claimed responsibility for the attack by the time of going to press.

However, security agencies suspect Al-Shabaab militants are behind the attack.

Security operations are ongoing in the Koromey-Hagarsu area as authorities hunt for the attackers.