Gunmen shot and killed a juvenile boy in an attack on Lokichar-Kitale highway.
The gang also shot and injured another girl aged 15 before escaping the scene in the Aroo area, police said.
The incident happened on January 14 morning as the two rode on a lorry where they had been offered a lift to Kitale.
The driver told police the gunmen started to shoot at the lorry unprovoked when they hit the two, killing the boy.
The victims were hit in the ribs and stomach. The injured girl was hit in the stomach and was rushed to a local hospital in a critical condition while the body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy.
This was after the driver maneuvered the shooting and drove off. The stretch has been regarded a black spot for gunmen who lay ambushes for vehicles using the route.
This has prompted authorities to deploy dozens of security agencies to tame the attacks.
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.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the long-term vision is to empower the communities to actively take part in the war against animal rustling and undertake legitimate nation-building activities.
He said plans to distribute subsidized agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents in a bid to revive farming activities as a source of livelihood.
Murkomen ordered fresh vetting for all National Police Reservists (NPRs) as part of efforts to bolster the operations.
“We are coming to dismantle not only the criminals themselves but also to bring down the entire chain that has been the cattle and livestock rustling industry,” he said.
He also announced a new policy shift, which institutionalizes the command structure of the NPR officers, stating they will hence be under the direct command of the Officer Commanding Police Stations (OCS) as part of efforts to enhance their operations.
