Five people were killed and two others injured in a Tuesday morning terrorist attack as a new wave of terrorism grips frontier counties that neighbour Somalia.

The killings were linked to Al-Shabaab, which has made resurgence in the past four months following Kenyan President William Ruto’s abolition of stringent vetting of applications for national identity cards and passports.

The dead, described as non-local quarry workers, were forced to lie down before they were summarily executed as locals fled.

The incursion by the insurgents is expected to refocus national attention on President Ruto’s order on national identity cards and passports that has made easy for frontier communities in northern and north-eastern Kenya and foreigners to acquire them.

The latest strikes – the second deadly attack after Ruto annulled stringent vetting of applications for national identity cards and passports – targeted non-local quarry labourers in Mandera, with Bur Abor Location bearing the brunt, according to reports.

During a visit to Mandera on February 4, Ruto declared, “The discrimination that has been ongoing in Kenya for 60 years that when a child from Mandera, Wajir, Garissa or Tana River goes to apply for an ID card gets asked more questions than those asked in maternity wards is going to stop. Tomorrow (February 5, 2025), I will sign an executive order to remove the discriminatory vetting process that the children of this region have suffered so that all Kenyan children in Kenya will be counted as equals.”

Weeks later on March 13, 2025, the president announced in Kibra, Nairobi, “I want to announce here in Kibra today that IDs will now be issued free of charge. Every Kenyan should receive an ID without any form of discrimination.”

Ruto’s order immediately met with stark warnings of imminent terror attacks by experienced administrators and security experts, who told the president that he had opened a Pandora’s Box and foreign criminals would have a field day roaming Kenyan territory helped by illegally acquired national identity cards and passports.

During the burial of former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati in March, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya told President Ruto, who was present, “This directive has serious security implications. If implemented carelessly, we could end up electing even an MCA from outlawed groups.”

Natembeya is remembered for playing a key role in neutralising banditry in volatile spots in Rift Valley, north-eastern Kenya and Nairobi during the reigns of President Mwai Kibaki and President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Ruto has also been under searing criticism for vesting the country’s security in the hands of Kenyans know have relatives in neighbouring Somalia. The Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI), administration police division (part of the National Police Service) and the National Security intelligence (NIS) are headed by Kenyans of Somali origin from frontier counties in north-eastern Kenya.

Following the Tuesday morning attack, Mandera County Commissioner Henry Ochako confirmed the incident, saying the victims had ignored security plans and left Mandera Town earlier than scheduled. Ochako said there was an agreement between the quarry operators, workers and the government to travel as a group, which the victims failed to adhere to.

The county commissioner said the advance group was ambushed at around 6:30 am, resulting in the immediate shooting to death of five people as two others sustained injuries, while several others escapes unhurt.

“The group departed earlier than usual and without the agreed security escort. We are now engaging the driver and quarry owner to understand why they left before time, which unfortunately exposed them to the attack,” Ochako said.

According to authorities, the quarry workers have a routine of reporting to the site during the day and returning to Mandera Town by nightfall for their safety. Deviating from the routine poses high security risks.

Families and friends of the deceased persons gathered at Mandera County Referral Hospital to identify the victims’ bodies.

Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif assured residents that justice would be pursued. Khalif also announced that the bodies of the victims would be airlifted to respective counties of origin for burial.

“This is a tragic loss. We are working with national security agencies to ensure justice prevails and that such incidents are prevented from happening in future,” the governor said.

Security agencies have launched investigations and stepped-up patrols in the area following the attack. Friends and family members of the slain victims at the Mandera County Referral Hospital mortuary.

• A Tell Media / KNA / By Adan Mohamed