Two men were killed on the night of July 13 after their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) in Bodhai, a remote settlement in Garissa County near the Somali border.
Police and local residents said the blast tore through the car as it travelled through Madah Adon village. The victims identified by police as Mohamed Shabel Bashir and Abdikadir Muhumed Salat were both from the area.
They were laid to rest the following day, according to local officials.
Authorities suspect the device had been planted on the roadside by unknown individuals. The motive behind the attack remains unclear, but police say investigations are under way to establish who was behind the bombing and whether it is linked to terror groups operating in the region.
The two men were the only occupants in the vehicle, police confirmed.
Ijara Member of Parliament, Abdi Ali Abdi, condemned the killing, calling it a “senseless act of violence.” He said the incident serves as a painful reminder of the threats faced by communities living near Kenya’s border with Somalia.
“This senseless act of violence is a painful reminder of the persistent threats facing our communities and underscores the urgent need to safeguard the lives of our citizens,” he said in a statement.
He urged both national and regional security agencies to act swiftly and decisively to bring those responsible to justice.
The region has seen a drop in such attacks in recent months, thanks to sustained operations by Kenyan security forces targeting criminal and extremist groups believed to be behind earlier incidents.
But the July 13 explosion came just five days after another IED incident in neighbouring Mandera County. On July 8, seven police officers were injured after their vehicle ran over an explosive device along the Gadudia Laga Road, between Aresa and Khalalia.
The officers, who were travelling from Bambo to Mandera, were badly wounded and rushed to hospital. Their police vehicle was extensively damaged.
While the frequency of attacks has reduced, security officials say al-Shabaab-linked militants continue to pose a threat, particularly in areas close to the porous Kenya-Somalia border.
Kenyan police say they have deployed multi-agency teams to the region to track down suspects and prevent further attacks. National Police Service spokesperson Michael Muchiri said efforts are ongoing to contain the threat.
“The terrorists have been attacking the area, affecting development at large,” he said.
Security agencies have called on residents to support ongoing operations and share any information that could help stop future attacks. The border region remains one of the most heavily patrolled areas in the country, as authorities try to prevent infiltration by extremist groups from neighbouring Somalia, which has lacked a stable government for decades.
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