Several police officers are feared dead after their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) in Garissa County.
Dadaab Deputy County Commissioner Kipkirui Siele confirmed this on Tuesday morning, saying the incident took place on Dadaab-Garissa road.
Mr. Siele said the Border Patrol Unit (BPU) officers from Abdi Suku camp were traveling to Garissa.
“We have reports of a police vehicle hit by an explosive but I am yet to know the exact number of casualties,” Mr. Siele said by phone.
Pictures seen by our reporter showed an intensively damaged police vehicle, bodies, and a huge depression in the road.
Several such incidents have been reported in different parts of the country over the years, the enemy being the terror group Al-Shabaab.
Recent attacks in Lamu and Garissa counties have forced security agencies to suspend construction of a crucial road linking Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Work on the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (Lapsset) corridor project was suspended last month and workers asked to stay away for at least six weeks.
A security operation was launched in the area to flush out the militants believed to be operating from Boni Forest in Lamu County.
Since September, at least 30 deaths have been recorded in suspected terror attacks on the project and its workers, seven of them in December alone.
There have been seven attacks since December 8, which left at least 14 people dead and valuables destroyed.
On January 17, a convoy carrying the workers while escorted by military personnel was attacked. Reports said six people died in the incident at Algeis Malhadhon Adam near Bodhai police camp. Three vehicles were damaged after being hit by explosives.
On the same day, two military officers were injured in an explosion along Garissa-Hulugho road. The incident happened between Hulugho and Mchanga Nyekundu, when an armoured personnel carrier (APC) hit a roadside explosive.
The APC driver lost both legs while a gunner sustained internal injuries that left him unconscious. They were both flown to Nairobi for specialized treatment.
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