This archive report was first published on 23 August 2019.
On Thursday night, a census convoy in Masalale area was ambushed by unidentified gunmen, but Wajir North MP Ahmed Ibrahim escaped unhurt.
The MP was traveling with census staff for the pre-listing exercise when the attack occurred.
According to reports, the vehicle was torched but there were no injuries.
Masalale North, a contested area with recurring clashes over boundary disputes, is on the border of Wajir North and Eldas Constituency.
Just two days prior, displaced communities in the area demonstrated in Buna, demanding that the government rescind an order to relocate them.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) officers had been ordered to enumerate them at their current location, but the communities were told to return to their original homes until the census is concluded.
Wajir County Commissioner Koyfird Kibara held a meeting with the group but has not been forthcoming with the details.
Tension remains high in Masalale as the country gears up for the census, which is set to kick off on Saturday, August 24 to 31.
