An attack in Garissa County that left at least eight police officers injured is now being blamed on a controversial decision by senior security officials to summon all National Police Reservists (NPRs) to the county headquarters for fresh data collection.
On Tuesday, more than 20 officers from the elite Border Patrol Unit (BPU) narrowly survived after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) struck one of their vehicles during a routine patrol.
The officers stationed at Banane Camp had been on patrol along the Banane–Yumbis road in Fafi Sub-county when the explosion occurred around 10 kilometres away from Yumbis.
Fafi Sub-county Deputy County Commissioner Naftali Koojo confirmed the attack, saying, “Our officers were on routine patrol when one of the vehicles was hit by an explosive. The first two vehicles passed through safely before the last one, which had eight officers on board, was struck.”
He added that the affected vehicle, which was at the rear of the convoy, overturned on impact. Officers in the lead vehicles quickly turned back to respond and assist their injured colleagues.
All eight officers on board the vehicle were successfully rescued following the blast. They were admitted to Hagadera Hospital with plans to transfer them to Nairobi for further treatment.
When questioned why National Police Reservists (NPRs) had not been engaged in the patrol, Fafi Sub-county Deputy County Commissioner Naftali Koojo explained the reservists are not attached to one location permanently..
“These NPRs are not static. They move from one area to another, and the Garissa Yarey area, where the incident happened, is uninhabited,” he said as quoted by NTV.
Koojo also denied knowledge of any directive that had summoned NPRs to Garissa for data verification, a move some have linked to the officers’ vulnerability during the attack.
The government recruits NPRs from local communities in volatile regions to support the efforts of regular security forces in countering threats and enhancing safety.
Despite the concerns raised, Koojo maintained that the partnership between the government and NPRs remains strong.
“We are working well with our NPRs in addressing insecurity,” he stated.
