Seven police officers killed in Lamu al Shabaab blast

Wednesday January 27, 2016

Residents of Milimani in remote part of the Boni forest try to look for a way to pull out a vehicle that had been stuck in the mud in the bad terrain in December 2014. Photo/Alphonce Gari

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Seven police officers manning Boni Forest died on Tuesday morning after their truck struck a landmine planted by al Shabaab in Kiunga, Lamu East.

The forest is the site of Operation Linda Boni that the Kenya Defence Forces launched on September 2, 2015 to flush out al Shabaab militants.

The truck was heading from Hindi to Kiunga when the incident occurred near Baure at about 11am, said an officer who sought anonymity for not having the authority to address the media

"The truck belonging to the AP Rapid Deployment Unit based in Mangai had about 15 officers, both regular and APs. They had gone shopping," the source told the Star.

"Three regular police officers on their way back from home after a short break were given a lift."

The vehicle allegedly left Hindi after the officers became impatient and did not wait for the rest of the convoy.

Another officer said he heard a loud explosion followed by gunshots. Several officers went missing after the incident; their whereabouts are still unknown.

The officers were drawn from various police stations to improve security in Lamu East and area police stations.

They complained about the non-payment of allowances and remaining in the area for too long.

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