This archive report was first published on 3 January 2020.
On Thursday, a group of terrorists laid siege on three buses traveling from Mombasa to Lamu, near Witu. The buses were being escorted by police officers, but they ran away when the gunmen opened fire.
According to reports, the officers escaped immediately after hearing the gunshots, as they were outnumbered by the terrorists and did not want to engage in a confrontation.
The Mombasa-Lamu route has been prone to terror attacks in the past, with the government banning night travel in 2014 due to increased attacks on public vehicles.
Despite the security measures in place, including the presence of 10 armed officers in armoured vehicles and the requirement for buses to travel in groups, there was only one police escort for the three buses on Thursday.
‘Unlike other escorts where there are two Land Cruisers, one in front and the other behind, this time we had only one which was trailing the buses,’ a passenger said.
At least three people died during the attack, with witnesses suggesting the number could be higher. The terrorists allegedly targeted non-Muslim male passengers and shot them at close range.
Raymond Juma, the driver of the Mombasa Raha bus, ignored orders from the terrorists to stop his vehicle and kept driving despite the gunfire.
‘As we approached they shot in the air and ordered me to stop the bus,’ Mr Raymond said.
‘At about 100 meters from the van, I stopped the bus and asked the passengers to alight and run into the bush. The passengers fled into the forest,’ he said.
Lamu County Commissioner Samson Macharia said only two passengers are unaccounted for.
