Garissa-Mwingi Highway Plunged Into Chaos as Bus Attack Sparks Travel Shutdown Amid Deadly Tensions
Transport along the busy Garissa–Mwingi highway was brought to a standstill on Tuesday evening after suspected attackers ambushed a passenger bus near Ukasi in Kitui County, leaving several people feared injured and triggering widespread panic among travellers.
Witnesses said the bus, which was en route from Garissa to Mwingi, came under attack in the volatile Ukasi area, where tensions have been escalating in recent days following a string of deadly incidents.
Footage circulating online shows the vehicle speeding away as it is pelted with stones, its windscreen completely shattered. Despite the شدت of the attack, the driver reportedly refused to stop, accelerating in a desperate attempt to escape the assailants.
The incident sent shockwaves across the transport network, with multiple buses and private vehicles halting their journeys mid-route amid fears of further violence.
“We cannot risk our lives,” one driver was heard saying at the scene. “Until security is guaranteed, no one is moving.”
Passengers and operators remained stranded for hours, insisting they would not proceed without assurances of safety as anxiety gripped the region.
The attack comes against the backdrop of rising inter-community tensions, with reports indicating that at least two people were killed earlier in the area in suspected retaliatory assaults.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the latest ambush, but the incident follows a string of deadly violence that has left the region on edge.
Just days earlier, on Sunday, April 26, seven residents were killed in Tseikuru, Mwingi, in what police described as retaliatory attacks linked to long-standing disputes between local residents and a pastoralist community.
According to police, heavily armed assailants stormed the village and opened fire indiscriminately, killing the victims on the spot before fleeing.
In response to the escalating crisis, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja deployed a high-level security team to the area, led by Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat.
In a statement, Kanja said: “The Inspector General of the National Police Service has already dispatched a high-powered security team led by Eliud Lagat, who is on the ground at Kwa Kamari, Tseikuru.”
He urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies, adding that efforts to restore peace and stability were ongoing.
However, with fresh violence now disrupting a key transport corridor, concerns are mounting over the deteriorating security situation and the safety of civilians caught in the crossfire.
Also Read: IPOA Announces 33 Job Vacancies Including Chairperson Role